EL PASO -- If there were a universal symbol for green living and saving energy, it would certainly be the new curlicue light bulb.
Changing a light bulb is a small, mundane act. But lighting our homes consumes about 20 percent of our entire energy bill, so making lighting more efficient can pay off both for our wallets and for the climate (the less energy spent, the less coal burned to make electricity and the less carbon dioxide in the air).

The new CFL bulbs -- CFL stands for compact fluorescent light -- emit light through a chemical reaction in the coating. Incandescent light bulbs, on the other hand, still emit light the same way they did 130 years ago, by heating up a metallic filament. During this very inefficient pro cess, 80 to 90 percent of the energy is transformed into heat, as opposed to light. Try this at home. Count the light bulbs in your kitchen. Each one emits roughly the same amount of heat as a person. Don't you suddenly feel crowded?


In 2012, a phaseout of these old bulbs will start, mandated by a 2007 law that will require that all light bulbs use 30 percent less energy than today. By 2014, old light bulbs will probably have disappeared from supermarket shelves, and future generations will find them as dumbfounding as rotary phones and VHS tapes. The likely replacements will be CFL bulbs, which consume an astonishing 75 percent less energy.

Better get used to CFLs right now. There's a lot to like. An EnergyStar qualified CFL will save about $30 over its lifetime (which is 10 times as long as old bulbs) and pay for itself in about six months. This is worth spending $5 on a light bulb. The downside is that CFL bulbs contain a bit of mercury that gets released when the bulb breaks. (To clean a broken bulb, first air the room, scoop up the pieces with a piece of cardboard, never a broom or a vacuum cleaner, and pick up the small pieces with duct tape.) I must also mention that CFL bulbs are now almost all made in China, which really puts a damper on their global green credentials.

But if you are ready to face the extensive, and sometimes perplexing, array of CFL bulbs at your superstore, here are a few tips to prepare you:


  • Choose your location: CFL bulbs' energy use peaks at the moment when you turn them on. So using these bulbs in places where you turn the light on, then turn it off right away, such as a closet or a pantry, will not give you the promised savings. In addition, many CFL lights, especially older ones, take a few seconds to reach their full brightness. So use them in places were lights are on for more than 15 minutes, such as the kitchen, the living room and the porch.

  • Read labels: Regular CFL bulbs do not work on three-way lights, light sensors or dimmers. Read labels carefully to find the right bulb for these applications.

  • Experiment with colors: CFLs now come in supposedly pleasing tones that are warmer than the old fluorescent tubes. But it's not always without surprises. The CFL bulb I put in the dining room, for instance, gave everything a bold yellow glow. It's like having dinner with the Simpsons. When it comes to CFL bulbs, it pays to experiment a little before you buy in bulk.