Celebrate Change a Light Day

October 3 might find you fondly looking back at the 1955 TV debuts of Captain Kangaroo and The Mickey Mouse Club or perhaps watching the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs (our sympathies, Mets and Padres fans).

Since October 3 is also national Change a Light Day, one other item on your agenda that day should be to replace at least one incandescent bulb in your home with an Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light (CFL). As we reported in “New twists in savings,” you can save significant energy and money by using CFLs. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, if every American household were to replace one incandescent bulb with an Energy Star CFL, enough energy would be saved to light more than three million homes for a year and cut annual energy costs by $600 million.

We recommend you buy only Energy Star bulbs. Keep these other tips in mind when shopping for CFLs:

Match the bulb to the task. Generally, spiral fluorescent bulbs are ideal in lamps, pendants, and wall sconces. For recessed fixtures, use flood CFLs; they cast light evenly on the task area. You can use globes in vanity strips, say over bathroom sinks, or in hanging pendant lamps. And if you don't like the twisted look of some CFLs, use a covered type; these do, however, take longer to come to full brightness. Some CFLs even have three brightness settings, and others can be used with dimmers.

Look at the lumens. The wattage of a bulb tells you how much energy a bulb uses; its lumens measurement indicates the amount of light it provides. Check the packaging to find a CFL that delivers as many lumens as the bulb it's replacing and uses the fewest watts.

Choose the color. Energy Star CFLs labeled "soft white" or "warm white" are designed to match the light of a typical soft white bulb. Those labeled "bright white," "daylight," or "natural" have a cooler blue color, comparable to a bright white incandescent.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Learn 10 easy way to cut consumption in “Save hundreds on energy costs.” Also read our latest reports on thermostats, windows, and space heaters.

Comments

[kftgr]

LED bulbs are even more energy efficient and longer lasting than CFLs. Please make a mention of them somewhere in your article so that people interested in energy savings are at least aware that a superior option exists.

Yes, they are expensive; however, the more people buying LED bulbs, the quicker that the economies of scale come into play.

[hobbit]

Some CFLs are dimmable? I've done google searches and looked on manufacturers websites. I have yet to find a CFL that is dimmable.

It would be a big feature for me. Any idea where to find these dimmable CFLs?

[Steven Saltzman, Consumer Reports]

There are a number of places where you can buy dimmable CFLs, including these two sources. I am not recommending them as the place where you buy your bulbs, and also remind you that we suggest you buy only Energy Star-qualified bulbs, but want to let you know that dimmable CFLs are out there:

http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=dimmable+CFL&osCsidconsumer=857qh6te880v18inghrbojnt70

http://www.bulbs.com/Category-/results.aspx?Ntk=all&Ntt=dimmable+cfl&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1

[Jayme]

Anyone hear anything on Full Spectrum Lighting?? Thanks,,