In a typical American household, electric lights consume a lot of energy—nearly 2,000 kilowatt-hours per year, or 15 percent of the home’s total electric use.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are an energy-saving alternative to incandescent bulbs, using 75% less energy to produce the same amount of light as incandescent with almost no energy lost as heat – and they last up to ten times as long.

Note: Take your spent, unbroken CFLs to the customer service counter of any Home Depot store to be recycled at no charge.