25% of a typical home's electricity is spent on lighting inefficientincandescent light bulbs. Each year, more and more homeowners arechoosing to replace their incandescent bulbs with more efficient bulbs.Two of the most efficient energy saving light bulbs used in homes areCFL (compact fluorescent) and LED (light emitting diode) bulbs. Both ofthese bulb types have become more popular as home owners realize thegreat energy saving benefits. While CFL and LED cost more than theconventional incandescent bulbs, they prove to last much longer. YouwonÂ’t need to replace CFL and LED bulbs as often as incandescent bulbs.

CFL Bulbs
CFL bulbs are compact fluorescent bulbs that have a twisting shapeappearance. They are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbsbecause they produce less heat and last longer. They use 1/3 theelectricity and last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs. Forexample, one, 18 watt CFL in place of one, 75 watt incandescent bulb,will save about 570 Kilowatts (kWh). The average cost of electricityper kWh is 8 cents per kWh. This would yield about a $45 savings forjust one1*4 panel Factorybulb (Eartheasy). Other advantages of using CFL bulbsinclude that they help reduce air and water pollution by producing lesscarbon dioxide (CO2). Replacing one incandescent bulb with a CFL canprevent as much as 450 lb. of carbon dioxide from entering theatmosphere. CFL's provide a higher quality light compared to the brightwhite light of incandescent bulbs.

Some homeowners fear using CFL bulbs because they contain small amountsof mercury. Electrical safety experts believe that the mercury in a CFLis not dangerous. The only danger associated with a CFL bulb is if itbreaks and is not cleaned up and disposed of promptly and properly.Proper clean up consists of sweeping up the glass from the bulb (do notvacuum) and disposing it in regular trash.

LED
LED (light emitting diode) bulbs are used in lamps, small lightingfixtures and for Christmas lights. They are also used in smallelectronics, such as DVD players, as well as in tiny flashlights.Nowadays, LED bulbs are being used for more residential lightingapplications, such as under-cabinet lighting, in recessed lightingfixtures and for landscape lighting applications. LED bulbs have anextremely long lifetime. They can last between 50,000 to 60,000 hours.This is more than four times longer than CFL bulbs. LED bulbs use only2-10 watts of electricity (1/3 to 1/30 of incandescent or CFL bulbs).As with CFL bulbs, LED’s don’t produce heat. According toEartheasy, “LEDs produce 3.4 BTU's/hour, compared to 85 forincandescent bulbs.” In 2009, the first LED-based replacements for atraditional light bulb were made available to the public. These bulbsgive off an amount of light equivalent to a 40-watt incandescent bulb.Most homeowners use 65 watt bulbs and higher. However, the extremelylong lifespan of LED bulbs has made them into a popular choice.

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