Did you know the average home has 40 light bulb sockets? If every American home replaced just one light bulb with a light bulb that’s earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year, save about $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to those from about 800,000 cars.

CFLs have dropped dramatically in price since they were first introduced to the market in the 1980s. They still cost a little more than incandescents; however, they will pay for themselves after a year or two of use (see box at left). Because they last so much longer than incandescents, you will continue to see savings on your energy bills throughout the life of the bulb.

How much energy and/or money do CFLs save?

A 23 Watt CFL is equivalent in light output to a 100 Watt incandescent bulb and lasts much longer – up to 9 years. If you replaced five 100 Watt incandescent bulbs with CFLs, you could save over $50 a year on your electric usage. For more details, view the Lighting Calculator or the CFL Evaluator.

According to EnergyStar.gov, a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL):

• can save more than $40 in electricity costs over its lifetime
• uses about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 10 times longer
• produces about 75% less heat, so it’s safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling

Easy way to save money!