The light bulbs in your living room lamps
are burning up more of their energy to product heat than to light your home. You
probably use traditional incandescent bulbs, which are up to 75 percent less efficient
than the newest generation of fluorescent light bulbs — compact and sized
just right for household lamps. A compact fluorescent light bulb will last 10
times longer.
Unlike those familiar, overhead
fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescents deliver a warm, soft light. Sure, compact
fluorescents are more expensive to buy than incandescents. But you'll have to
replace them far less often, so they pay for themselves in short order, especially
when you use them in areas of your home where you leave the lights on for long
periods of time.
And fluorescent lighting is
good for the environment. Replacing just one incandescent bulb with, a fluorescent
bulb means 1,0000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere,
reports the U.S. Department of Energy.
Some
fluorescent bulbs are larger than incandescents, so check the size of your fixture
before making a purchase. |
