A Light Bulb Went On In My Head…

If you don’t use them already, you should consider switching to LED or compact fluorescent lightbulbs wherever possible. I’ve got two CFLs in my house so far…eventually I’ll have ‘em all converted.

Regular incandescent bulbs turn 90% of the electric energy they use into heat and only 10% into light. The newer bulbs are more expensive, but are both far more efficient and longer lasting. Don’t cringe too hard at the cash register—you will save money, and not an insignificant amount of it. Plus, the up-front cost of the new bulbs will keep your mind on the light switch…mine tends to wander, so I need extra incentive.

According to EnergyStar, if every US household replaced just one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, the front-end pollution diverted would be equivalent to that diverted by taking about one million automobiles off the road. Simple things matter.

Compact flourescents use 66% less energy than incandescents and last up to 10 times longer. They burn at less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit and are cool to the touch. Halogen bulbs, by contrast, burn at the range of 1000 degrees F.

LED light bulbs are even more efficient and last even longer, but are far pricier…in coming years that will change. Compact fluorescents are currently the most affordable and responsible way to illuminate, indoors and out. They fit standard bulb sockets and provide light on the same wavelengths as traditional fluorescents.