Cree has introduced the CR6 LED recessed downlight, which it hopes can be a real contender to compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

By reducing the number of LEDs used in the 6-inch CR6, Cree has limited its energy consumption to 12 watts, but the company claims the CR6 has a light output equivalent to that of an 18- to 26-watt CFL. Priced at $50 to $60 per bulb, the CR6 has a claimed 35,000- to 50,000-hour life span, several times that of typical CFLs and incandescents. (Check out the Centennial Bulb, which has been burning away in Northern California since 1901).

In the video (right), Bob Markovich, editor of the Consumer Reports Home franchise, looks at the pros, cons, and costs of the CR6, which should be available in mid-2010,

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Essential information: Learn more about advanced lighting in "10 Questions for . . . Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., Lighting Researcher." Our October 2009 report on compact fluorescent lightbulbs includes ratings of indoor- and outdoor-use bulbs (available to subscribers). Also learn how some schools are greening their fund-raising efforts by selling CFLs.