Earlier this month, I visited the Lightfair International, the industry's largest trade show devoted to lighting. The big buzz this year was LEDs — light emitting diodes, also known as solid state lighting.While waiting for the show floor to open one morning, I even listened to a lighting consultant who expounded — at length — about the virtues and drawbacks of using LEDs as growing lights in northern climates for various plants.In short, everyone was talking about LEDs. There were countless LED fixtures on display that were intended to replace to traditional HID streetlights. There were also a few companies selling LED high bay fixtures that are intended to replace HID units often used in gymnasiums.Companies marketing such LED fixtures count energy savings and the long life of the products among the advantages. I know from talking to readers that many facility managers look at the "latest and greatest" with a skeptical eye. As it is easy to get caught up in the buzz surrounding new technology, a few of the normal caveats apply: If you are considering LED technology in your facility, a small-scale test may be more appropriate before jumping into a large deployment.Also, ask companies if they have references they can give you about prior projects they have worked on. And check them. Too often, I hear facility managers start working with a new manufacturers' products but never bother to check references. Would you hire a new employee without checking references?