The world seems to be all about efficiency and ways to protect the environment. You want to conserve energy, but sometimes it is hard to know if products are more hype than anything or if they are really worth the investment. You hear about energy efficient lights all the time, you see them in the store right next to the cheap light bulbs that you always buy. The light bulbs that claim to be energy efficient are more expensive so you pass them by but this is actually costing you money!!

Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) bulbs do help the environment, conserve energy and save money in the long run. These energy efficient bulbs use an incredible sixty five to eighty percent LESS energy than the incandescent bulbs you usually buy. This means that switching to CFL bulbs instead of the less efficient bulbs that many of us use, you can actually save up to 7% off your energy bill each month. These bulbs also last much longer than a regular bulb and so while you pay more for one initially you save money because they can last longer than regular bulbs which you would have to replace two or three times (or more).

Compact Fluorescent Lamp bulbs work differently than regular light bulbs. Regular bulbs use most of the electricity to heat up the filament inside of them which in turn lights up. Only about 2% of the electricity used by these light bulbs is actually used to produce light, the rest is used to create heat. A Compact Fluorescent bulb passes the electrical current through a mercury vapour which in turn creates an ultraviolet light. The light created is then absorbed by the phosphorescent coating that is on the light bulb which produces a glowing effect.

CFL bulbs turn over 20% of the energy they use into light so they require much less energy to produce the same brightness as a regular bulb. These bulbs can be used in your existing light fixtures and lamps so there is no extra cost to convert to them above the initial cost of the bulbs, which as stated above is made up for in energy savings and longer lasting bulbs.

Another choice for energy efficient lighting is to use LED ((Light Emitting Diode) bulbs. Light emitting diode bulbs are by far the most energy efficient bulbs available. These bulbs do not generate heat and do not have a filament. They very rarely need replacing and last longer than any other option. They are one of the safest choices as well because they do not generate heat there is not a concern of being burned or a fire occurring because of the bulb. Light Emitting Diode bulbs do require the initial investment and you may need to change the fixtures.

The return on your investment by the immense saving on energy bills and almost never needing to replace the bulbs is above and beyond any amount that you spend at first. You also have the knowledge that you are saving tonnes of greenhouse gases from harming the environment. LED lighting is becoming more affordable every day with the growing demand for energy efficient lighting and is most definitely the way of lighting the future for years to come.Energy efficient lighting is not only smart but is one way to cut down on your carbon footprint, save the environment and keep money in your pocket rather than the electric company's.