<h3>Purpose</h3>
The goal of this action is to reduce the amount of electricity you use for lighting by replacing your most-used incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). This will save energy and money and reduce your carbon emissions with little or no impact on your lighting. <br />
<h3>Savings</h3>
The <em>Low Carbon Diet </em>estimates that you can save 500 pounds of carbon by replacing just 5 regular light bulbs with CFLs. <br />
<h3>Fast Facts</h3>
<ul>
    <li>CFLs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs. They also last up to 10 times longer.&nbsp; CFLs have improved dramatically over the last several years; they are smaller, the cost has come down a lot, and there is a CFL for almost every fixture.</li>
    <li>A single 18-watt CFL used in place of a 75-watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime. At 20 cents per kWh, that equates to a savings of $114. So even if you pay more for a CFL than for the incandescent version, you will save a LOT more money in the long run.</li>
    <li>Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb</li>
    <li>If every American household replaced just one 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 15-watt CFL, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as taking a million cars off the road!</li>
</ul>
<h3>What to Do</h3>
<ul>
    <li>List the ten most-used incandescent light bulbs and fixtures in your home. The most-used light bulbs are typically kitchen ceiling lights, living room ceiling lights and table lamps, bathroom lights, and outdoor porch lights. Look for lights that are on for more than 2 hours a day.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <li>Next determine the wattage of the existing bulb; it is usually stamped on the top of the bulb. To get the same amount of light from each CFL you install, match the wattage for the incandescent light bulb to the CFL.
    <ul>
        <li>An incandescent bulb of 25 watts = a 5-watt CFL</li>
        <li>An incandescent bulb of 60 watts = a 15-watt CFL</li>
        <li>An incandescent bulb of 75 watts = a 20-watt CFL</li>
        <li>An incandescent bulb of 100 watts = a 25-watt CFL</li>
    </ul>
    </li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <li>Visit your local hardware store or a larger store such as Home Depot and check out their CFL selection. You may want to start with just one bulb and see how you like the color of the light. If it is too warm or cool, try another bulb. You should be able to find one that matches your preference very closely.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <li>Replace the old bulbs with the new ones.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
    <li>Always turn off the lights when you leave a room, and only light the parts of the room where you need the light.</li>
</ul>
<h3>More Information</h3>
<p><font face="Verdana">Incandescent and halogen bulbs get very hot, as you know if you ever made the mistake of touching one that's been on for even a few minutes! This is a safety hazard: In addition to burning your skin, a lamp that tips over can easily start a fire. If no one is home, you can lose your house. CFLs and LEDs both stay cool and are therefore much safer in operation.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">Wattage is only one of the factors in making a successful switch from incandescent to CFL.&nbsp; CFLs produce light differently than incandescent bulbs and have a color temperature rating.&nbsp; 2700K CFLs are called Warm White and have a yellow light similar to incandescent. 5000K CFLs are called Cool White and have white/blue light.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">While some manufacturers claim to make dimmable CFLs, they do not work as well as incandescent dimmable bulbs. If you are extremely fond of dimming lights and use this feature often, you may wish to keep your incandescents in that room or fixture. On the other hand, keep in mind that even when dimmed to their lowest light level, incandescent bulbs still use more energy than CFLs on their highest setting.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">LEDs are the next generation lighting technology. They have extremely high energy efficiency and a long life span. However, their high cost remains a barrier to residential use, with a few exceptions such as holiday lights and night lights. Maybe we could add something about holiday lights and night lights. They are often QUITE cheap.</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury. (In fact, ALL fluorescent bulbs &ndash; such as overhead office lights &ndash; have always contained mercury.) This mercury content is less than the mercury released by power plants in generating the far greater amount of electricity needed for incandescent bulbs &ndash; which is one of the reasons CFLs are beneficial for the environment. However, their mercury content is concentrated in one place (as opposed to dispersed through the air), and it&iacute;s in your home. So be careful to avoid breaking CFLs, and if one burns out or stops working, please dispose of it at a hazardous waste center or at a designated CFL recycling center (Home Depot now offers this service).</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana">If a CFL breaks in your home, go here for cleanup information:</font></p>
<p><font face="Verdana"><a href="http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf">http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf</a></font></p>
<h3><font face="Verdana">References and Links</font></h3>
<font face="Verdana"><br />
<em>Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds</em>, by David Gershon. 2006, Empowerment Institute.&nbsp; <br />
<a href="http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/">http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/</a><br />
<br />
Sources for CFLs and LEDs<br />
<a href="http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer">http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer</a><br />
<br />
To learn more about lighting with CFLs<br />
<a href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting /">http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting /</a><br />
<a href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting /">http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=11980</a></font>