Even though a revival of the musical "Hair" is taking place in New York City through the end of August, this is not the dawning of the age of Aquarius but of LED lighting, as we reported in our May 2 Buzzword: Solid-State Lighting story and as The New York Times covered in the July 28 news story "Fans of L.E.D. Say This Bulb's Time Has Come."

LEDs have achieved widespread commercial use in traffic lights, street lamps, and other applications. But General Electric, Osram Sylvania, and Royal Philips Electronics are now looking into residential applications. (A Philips iW MR LED is shown.)

As with any emerging technology—pay attention, all you alpha geeks—price is a big issue in how fast consumers will adopt them. LED bulbs cost upward of $100 each. Even if as claimed they last 100 times longer than traditional incandescents and best compact fluorescent lightbulbs for longevity, that's likely a tough sell, especially given the slow economy. But their prices will inevitably drop, making LEDs something worth keeping an eye on.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read our report on undercabinet lighting, which covers LED fixtures.