There are many alternatives to traditional incandescent light bulbs, such as LEDs, compact fluorescents (CFLs) and halogen bulbs. In the last few years CFLs have been the most cost-effective choice. For many applications, this remains true, though there are an increasing number of LED light bulbs that are affordable and will work in many applications. As LED lights continue to come down in price, these will replace CFLs in terms of cost-effectiveness.

One benefit of LEDs, in addition to their energy efficiency, are that they remain cool to the touch. Another benefit/drawback of LED lights is the directional light they provide. For flashlights or reading lamps, the directional light provided by LEDs is perfect, yet for lighting a room with one lamp, affordable LEDs have a ways to go.

LEDs certainly out-perform CFLs in terms of greeness, and LEDs are improving in quality and cost, but until the costs come down further yet, CFLs are the most efficient light bulbs for general lighting.

CFL Shopping Tips

• Over time the brightness of CFL light bulbs decreases, though the higher lumen output, the less dimming occurs.
• Choose CFLs labeled “daylight” or with a higher Kelvin temperature (5000k – 6000k) for office settings, and something with lower Kelvins (2700k – 3000k) for a warm glow that resembles incandescent lighting.
• CFLs last longer if they are kept on for at least 15 minutes per session, otherwise repeatedly turning them off and and will shorten their lifespan.
• Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, it’s best to recycle them. To find a recycling center that accepts CFL light bulbs go here and enter your zip code.