Light is important.  Whether from sunlight or the light produced inside your home, humans need it to survive.  A room can be transformed just by a flick of the switch.  It seems logical, then, that one would turn to the most energy efficient and longest-lasting light sources. Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFL bulbs, are the requisite replacements for incandescent light bulbs.  Though the prices for these bulbs, which can range from anywhere between 3-10 times more than an incandescent bulb, is a little off-putting to the frugal-minded, ultimately you can save $45 in the lifetime of one CFL bulb.  And a CLF bulb could last nearly 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

A CFL works much like a typical incandescent light bulb. It consists of two parts: a gas filled tube, or the bulb, and a magnetic or electronic ballast.  The gas glows ultraviolet when electricity from the ballast flows through it.[1]  The difference between an incandescent light bulb and a CFL is that 90% of the energy used to produce the light in an incandescent bulb is transferred into heat.  A CFL bulb, however, creates a chemical reaction that causes it to produce 75% less heat and produce about four times more light than a standard incandescent light bulb, thus using about 75% less energy.[2]  For example, a 100 watt incandescent bulb can be replaced by a 25 watt CFL and produce the same amount of light, while only using 25% of the energy that an incandescent bulb might use.

According to the Department of Energy, if every home in America replaced one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, enough energy can be saved to light more than 7 million homes a year and would prevent the addition of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere equivalent to the emissions of 1 million cars.[3]

Though a CFL bulb can last for years, it is important to recycle your CFL bulb after its lifetime has run out.  CFL bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury in them--about 5 milligrams to a 25 watt bulb.  This can be hazardous, so it is imperative to dispose of your CFL bulbs properly.  One place to recycle your CFL bulbs would be at your local IKEA, which offers free disposal for your burnt bulbs.  If there isn't an IKEA near you, Earth911  is a great way to find recycling centers nearby that will take CFL bulbs, and Bulbs.com  has a convenient recycling program.

Though fluorescent bulbs do contain mercury, switching to them will still reduce the amount of mercury in the environment than using standard incandescent light bulbs.  CFL bulbs use less energy than incandescent bulbs, and one of biggest source of mercury pollution are coal-fired power plants necessary for the production of energy. [4]   However, it is still crucial to recycle your CFL bulbs.  Think about it this way: CFL bulbs last for years.  Therefore, provided your light bulb has lived up to its life expectancy, it will only be necessary to drop them off at your local recycler that takes CFL bulbs once every two or three years.

CFL bulbs are not the only options available for the replacement of incandescent light bulbs.  Another alternative are light emitting diode, or more commonly known as LED. One advantage of an LED bulb is that it emits a softer and more natural light.  LED bulbs also do not have a filament that will burn out and has a longer lifetime than a fluorescent light bulb.  Also, like CFL bulbs, the energy wasted in an incandescent light bulb in generating heat is used to produce light, thus making the LED bulb much more efficient.  LED bulbs are unfortunately more expensive than your standard fluorescent or incandescent bulb, but has a lifespan of 60,000 hours compared to the CFL bulb's of 10,000 hours, and the incandescent bulb's life of 1,500 hours.  LED bulbs are also dimmer than other bulbs for the most part, and have directional beams.  Therefore, LED bulbs are preferable if you are looking for long term, energy saving bulbs, but for larger rooms, CFL bulbs would more appropriate[5].

There are many calls to ban incandescent light bulbs from the household because of their effect on their environment.  Some countries are already setting these bans in motion.  Australia and Ireland plan on banning the sale of incandescent light bulbs by January, 2009.[6]  In reality, incandescent light bulbs are much less efficient and much more costly not only to individual households, but even to the environment. Help make incandescent light bulbs a thing from the past by switching to energy efficient, eco-friendly lighting.  Also, try utilizing as much natural light as you can.  During the day, why not fling open your curtains instead of flipping up a switch?  After all, the sun offers much more natural light than any light bulb can, and it's 100% free and environmentally friendly.

2 "US Department of Energy." Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 2005. <http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=12050>

3 "Energy Star" <http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home.index>

4 Horn, Greg.  Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability. Topanga: Freedom Press, 2006.

5 Shogren, Elizabeth. "NPR."  CFL Bulbs Have One Hitch.  February 15, 2007.  <http://www.npr.org/templates%