LED Lighting for Safety and Accents

Discovering the many benefits of light emitting diodes

My entry hall and the long hall down the center of the house are very dark, both day and night. My 90-year-old father sometimes gets up in the middle of the night to get a snack. I had to keep lights on 24/7 to make sure he didn't trip. I used compact fluorescents to save energy but they are glaring, and if the power went out during a storm Dad would be stuck in the dark.

I found some battery-powered LED lights (like Christmas lights) and strung them in both halls. Now there is a nice soft glow that spreads throughout a large part of the house. It's easy to see and easy on the eyes. I found the strings at Target for $5.99 each for 8.1 ft. Closer to Christmas time they should be more widely available. Only problem is they use four AA batteries and will not take rechargeable batteries. I think there's a way to fix that but I haven't figured it out yet.

I also found a long string of LED lights for outdoors that runs on solar power. A 26' string was about $20, again at Target. I plan to put it along my front porch and get rid of the harsh porch light. The little power it needs will be free. If all this works out I might just string LEDs all over the house and only use the regular lights (CFLs, of course) if someone really needs extra light.

Mimi Gibson

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