This question has been going in circles depending on who's opinion you ask. If you ask a Designer or Architect, more likely you'll get, 'go with the halogen lamps as It brings out the colours of your home and furnishing.' Halogen lamps have been used for decades. The warm glow of halogen lamps usually create a cozy atmosphere in a space like the living room. Dim down the lights, turn on some light music and you'll feel the coziness and the warmth.

Light Emitting Diode or better known as LED is the current trend. Aside from lights for home use, you see them everywhere; in cafes,

on signboards, car head lamps, and even around the dodgy areas of a red light district. Yeah, I kid you not!

LED lamps consume much lesser energy than the halogen ones. A 10 watts LED lamp will give out approximately 750 to 800 lumens, almost equivalent output as your typical 50 watts halogen lamp. (if you're not sure what lumen means, it is a measure of total amount of visible light by a source)

Just on that basis, you know that for every single 50 watts halogen light on your ceiling, you are consuming 5 times more energy than the LEDs. If you ask an environmentalist which lamp should you use at home, the answer is quite obvious.

Why the comparison then? The cost!

While your regular halogen lamp costs about $1.50, the LED lamp may cost you 10 times more. The European brands are usually more expensive compared to the Asian brands although they both may be manufactured in the same Asian country, same county. Although the LEDs cost more than the halogen lamps, they last much longer than the halogens.

Not too long ago, the colour temperature of the LED lamp was a huge drawback. They tend to be whitish and cold. Not really nice to get snugly. However, in recent years, I've come across LED lamps that has colour temperature quite similar or rather very close to the halogen lamps. It is no longer white and flat!

LED lamps come in multitude of colours, but I wouldn't want to sleep in a green room or have dinner under the blue light. Like me, most people would still prefer the cozy ambiance that warm lighting creates.

Now you ask, what should I buy? If you've got that extra buck, pick up the LEDs. You will also be helping to preserve Planet Earth!