MAKE THE SWITCH TO CFL's OR LED's

Did you know that incandescent light bulbs are 90 percent inefficient?  About 90 percent of the energy used by an incandescent lamp is expelled as waste heat.  This also adds to cooling loads, wasting even more energy and money.

Energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) are readily available for most household applications, including special lamps for use in dimmable light fixtures.  CFL's use 75-80 percent less energy than incandescent lamps, and they last 8-10 times longer, which more than makes up for their higher up-front cost.  Many people are concerned about the small amount of mercury that CFL's contain, but possible environmental contamination can be avoided by simply dropping off your used CFL's at your local Home Depot or other participating retailer for proper recycling.  For more information, visit the Energy Star website's CFL page.

LED lamps designed to replace incandescent lamps in everyday household applications aren't widely available, and haven't earned the Energy Star certification yet due to varying light quality.  However, if you're looking to replace any light fixtures, there are several Energy Star qualified LED fixtures available that use at least 75 percent less energy and last a minimum of 22 years, based on average use of 3 hours per day.  For more information on what types of fixtures are available, visit the Energy Star website's LED page. 

LED lighting is readily available in decorative applications, such as holiday lighting and lighted decorations, and according to the US Department of Energy, they use 90 percent less energy than their incandescent counterparts.  So if you're thinking of replacing any of your decorative lighting, LED is the way to go.

So trade in your old incandescent light bulbs or fixtures for energy efficient CFL's or LED's, and enjoy the savings on your electric bill.