Photos: Oh Christmas tree, oh LED tree

More than ever, consumers, businesses, and public agencies are turning to light-emitting diodes to save energy while brightening their holiday displays.

LEDs are solid-state semiconductors--light shines from a chip rather than passing through a bulb or tube. They generally use one-tenth the energy of an incandescent bulb and can last a decade or longer. They also produce almost no heat, thereby reducing fire potential.

There's now a huge selection of LED holiday lights available to consumers online, as well as at hardware stores, home improvement stores, and major retailers. Many utilities and municipalities are letting consumers trade in their incandescent strands for LED ones and are offering related rebates to speed up community conversion.

We've brought you some prominent examples of public LED lighting displays from around the country.

Here, for example, is a shot of the National Christmas Tree, which for the first time is outfitted in LED lights. The tree is located south of the White House in Washington, D.C. Note the Washington Monument to the right.