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The best eco-friendly bulbs

Of course, with all of your new lighting purchases, you’re going to need bulbs.  And though you may balk at spending more, buying compact flourescent light (CFL) bulbs actually last longer and make a huge impact on our environment.  Here’s how:

• A single CFL bulb replaces up to 10 traditional bulbs and uses about 75% less energy
• Each bulb lasts five to seven years (!) and saves over $30 in electricity costs over the lifetime of the bulb
• Using just one CF bulb saves 500 pounds of coal
• If every US household replaced just one light bulb with a CFL bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Convinced?  Good!  Here are some top-rated, eco-friendly bulbs to use in the different types of lighting in your home.

...for overhead lights

When you think of overhead lighting, you think lights that are helping you with some sort of task: working at your desk, chopping veggies on your kitchen counter, etc.  So you need direct light but that (ideally) mimics natural light, reduces eyestrain and doesn’t cause fatigue.

...for table lamps

Table lamps normally have lampshades, and if they’re the type that sit on the bulb itself, coiled CFL bulbs won’t work.  Companies now recognize this and are creating traditional-looking round bulbs with that coil inside, making them ideal for table lamps (and, frankly, any lamp where you’d prefer to see an old-school bulb).

...for sconces and chandeliers

Yep, you can still be energy-conscious when you turn on your little-used wall sconces and chandeliers.  Because you’re most likely using these lights in areas that don’t require bright light for tasks, choose a bulb with a frosted finish to reduce glaring light and to create a softer, more inviting atmosphere.

...for pendant lamps

Pendant lamps (like table lamps) are another situation where you’d probably like to see a good ol’ rounded bulb peeking out from underneath.  Fortunately, this option exists for pendant lamp bulbs, too (the CFL coil is beneath the round dome) so that it won’t interfere with the aesthetics of the lamp.