Learn how you can reduce your home energy usage and start saving today

Use energy efficient light bulbs like CFL and LED lights

Compact fluorescent or LED lights can help save money on electricity. Energy-efficient lighting can last much longer than ordinary incandescent bulbs.

Costs Annual Savings Time
DIY*: varies money*: varies DIY*: 1 hour
Pro*: varies CO2*: varies  
   
Difficulty Recurrence  
very easy None  
 

Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb
What kind of energy-saving site would this be if we didn't mention CFLs? Compact fluorescent bulbs, with their soft-serve swirl, can use as little as a quarter of the energy of standard incandescent bulbs. They're the unofficial mascot of home energy efficiency for a reason—in addition to saving energy, CFLs can last up to 10 times longer as standard bulbs, helping you save money (and time hauling out the ladder). Energy Star says you could save $30 in energy costs over the life of a CFL bulb by replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 32-watt CFL.
New CFLs are much cheaper, start more quickly without flickering, and cast warmer, more appealing light than the CFLs of yesteryear. Worried about mercury? "If a CFL breaks," says Seattle City Light, "your greatest risk is getting cut from glass shards, and not from the very small amount of mercury." To put it in perspective, old thermometers had 100 times as much mercury as a CFL does, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science. (Here's how to dispose of CFLs properly.)
LED bulbs (light emitting diodes) can save more energy and last even longer than CFLs—plus, they contain no mercury and don't need time to warm up. LED lights are more expensive than CFLs, but LED technology is improving quickly. No matter what kind of energy efficient lighting you get, turn lights off when you leave a room to save energy.

How To

1. Choose the correct bulb and wattage for each receptacle in your home.
2. After turning lights off, remove old bulbs from their receptacles and put in the new bulbs.
The Hohm team discusses pros and cons of CFLs:

Tools and Materials

  • Instructions on the bulb's packaging

Tips and Tricks

Get an equivalent CFL or LED light. Before buying energy-efficient lighting, check the package label to make sure the lumens listed for a CFL or LED match those of an equivalent incandescent bulb. For example, light output for a 25- or 30-watt CFL may be similar to a 100-watt incandescent.
Dimmable lights. Dimmable CFLs are available—make sure the packaging says so right on it, otherwise the bulb may not work in a dimmable light fixture.
Lights that stay on for several hours. You'll get the most cost savings initially from energy-saving lights that are left on for more than two or three hours at a time.
Task lighting can help save energy. Task lighting—such as under kitchen cabinets or at a reading desk—can save even more money, because you won't need to turn on the overhead light for your ironic cross-stitch.
Recycle CFLs properly. Don't toss dead CFLs in the trash or glass recycling! The bulbs shouldn't be incinerated because the mercury needs to be specially removed and reused. To find out where to recycle CFLs, check this EPA map or visit Earth911.com. Efforts are underway to encourage more stores to open recycling centers so that recycling a bulb can be as easy as buying one. Ask local retailers if they'll accept used lights now or in the future.

* The amounts referenced are estimates and can vary significantly. Read our FAQ for more information.