Energy Star's Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

The Energy Star program estimates that if every household replaced at least one regular light bulb with a Compact Fluorescent one, the pollution prevented would be like taking a million cars off the road. Since every worthy cause gets it day, October 5th was deemed Change a Light Day , but by switching to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs you'd only have to do it every 7 years. Compact Fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are available at most local hardware stores and at Home Depot or Lowes.

By taking the pledge to change a bulb at www.energystar.gov, you can also see how your state compares in pledges. So far over 2000 New Yorkers have pledged leading the way, maybe the blackout of 2003 got people thinking. Nationwide almost 30,000 people have joined in and prevented over 12 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. A house can produce twice as much greenhouse gases as a car does and 20% of a homes energy use goes to lighting. Compact Fluorescent bulbs or ECObulbs come in the standard varieties found in traditional bulbs, including three way watts, making it easy to convert to most fixtures.

An incandescent bulb that uses about 100 watts has an equivalent brightness in the 25 watts of a CFL. A comparison chart is usually on the packaging along with a projected savings figure according to the number of watts. Since the bulbs were first introduced in the early 1980s they have improved in quality, become more affordable and diversified in style and function. It is important to look for the Energy Star label on the bulbs, as those products have been qualified with the highest savings, averaging between 66% - 78% less energy used and lasting 6-10 times longer.