every single point in that thread has been done to death already
people dont understand that not all leds are created equal in either efficiency or spectrum
good LEDs, whether they be phosphor-based cobs, phosphor-based mid-power chips, or high quality mono spectrums (rarer to find good ones of these, they do exist, and all the decent ones contain a decent amount of phosphor white) , can all replace HPS and CMH lighting more efficiently.
energy savings range from 0- 40% depending on the quality of the fixture used. (i.e 600-1000W to replace a 1000W)
anybody saying they can replace an HID with 30-40% of the energy (i.e 300-400W to replace a 1000W) is completely full of shit
fluorescent, and in particular CFL, is nearly completely obsolete with the common LEDs on the market at this point, specialty fluorescent for the very limited amount of UV light we need is its only application, imo.
