As the performance of white LEDs has improved, general lighting has become one of the next target applications for LEDs. Although general lighting applications requiring large amounts of light output may take longer to become a reality, applications such as decorative lighting now are within reach of white LED technology, which features energy savings and reduced maintenance. Decorative fixtures used in general lighting applications — which typically use incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent light sources — are designed to be attractive while providing some amount of ambient lighting. LED-based decorative fixtures typically use an “LED module” consisting of an array of LEDs, an electronic driver and a heat sink.

Traditionally, manufacturers have not provided photometric data for decorative lighting fixtures; they specify only the type of lamp and its maximum allowable wattage. With incandescent lamps, users generally have a certain expectation for light level for a given wattage, and they know that these lamps last about two to three years in a home application. Likewise, users have certain expectations about compact fluorescents but this is true more so among commercial and hospitality customers because compact fluorescents are still not common in home applications in the US. The LED, in contrast, is the least understood light source, but its promise and reputation have become more widespread...

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