It's becoming popular for new buildings to be constructed with high efficiency and with renewable energy sources in mind. Although it's expected that old buildings will be drafty, creaky, and firmly tied to the grid, many of the world's most famous historical buildings are recreating themselves with the help of green technology.

The Louvre Museum is the latest to join this list of fearless retrofits, and a massive overhaul is planned to replace its current lighting with more energy-efficient and cost-effective LED lighting.

Toshiba recently announced that it has partnered with the internationally renowned museum to provide the lighting, which in the first phase will placed in the glass pyramids and outdoor lighting fixtures for Napoleon Court as well as the Cour Carree, the Louvre's underground, sky-lighted entrance, square, and visitors' center (CNET).

Although happy about the energy savings it will bring, some museum aficionados are worried that the LEDs will alter the Louvre's legendary nighttime glow. LED's burn differently than traditional bulbs, and often give off a white glow, while incandescent lights glow orange or yellow.

Despite the color the lights emit, LEDs provide an environmentally friendly way to keep the lights on at many of the world's most famous buildings.

"LEDs are slowly becoming the most popular option for lighting famous buildings because they result in a saving of power without losing the grandeur of night lights. LEDs not only saves power, they also reduce the cost of replacing bulbs frequently because LEDs can last for up to 50-100 000 hours" (Tube-LED.com)

Other famous buildings that have recently switched to LEDs include: The CN tower in Canada, Boston's oldest church, the Eiffel Tower, and the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Georgia.

Image Credits:  EcoTechNinja/Flickr - Serge Melki