With better aesthetics, filament LEDs could help speed the switch from the 7 billion incandescent lamps still lighting the planet. By rearranging LED chips onto a strip inside of the bulb, light bulb manufacturers found they can replicate warmer, cozier light, which first gen LED bulbs failed to offer.

According to the United Nations, lighting demand is expected to rise 50 percent in the next two decades as poorer countries gain greater access to electricity. Switching to LEDs could offset some of that increase, preventing the release of more than 390 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

These new trends in lighting could help drive sales of LED bulbs that typically don’t need to be replaced for 10-15 years because they’re so much more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Getting consumers to buy LED light bulbs because they are cool and not because they need it could also help spawn greater lighting innovation to help offset the 7 billion incandescent lamps still lighting the planet.

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