Make your home — not your wallet — lighter

 Try lighting your home differently and you might find your wallet a little heavier.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs — the twisty ones that last up to five years — use about two-thirds less energy than incandescents. That energy savings translates into lower energy bills.

 You can save $30 over the lifetime of each CFL you use in place of a traditional incandescent bulb. CFLs last for 6,000 or more hours before they burn out.

 As a bonus, a CFL doesn’t put off much heat when it burns, unlike the incandescent light bulbs you’re probably using now. The result: The CFL doesn’t add heat to the air in a room that you’re trying to cool when it’s hot outside. Less added heat means your air conditioner doesn’t have to work so hard. That can save you even more.

 The latest CFLs are much improved from those slow-to-turn-on, pale-white bulbs of the past. If you tried CFLs a long time ago and didn’t like the color or the delay, try them again. The light and performance of the latest CFLs is much closer to what you’re used to. 

 It’s true that CFLs cost more than incandescents — from    around $3 to $15 per bulb compared with less than $1 per incandescent bulb. But you’ll more than make up the difference by paying lower electric bills.

 Which CFL equals my old 60-watt bulb?

 Choose a compact fluorescent light bulb between 13 watts and 15 watts if you want it to light your room about as brightly as your traditional, 60-watt incandescent light bulb.

Most manufacturers include “product equivalency” numbers on the package, so you might see a label that says “soft white 60” or “60-watt replacement.”

 Here’s a guideline for CFLs that replace incandescent bulbs of other wattages:

 Incandescent                          CFL

40-watt                                    7-9-watt

60-watt                                    13-15-watt

75-watt                                    18-20-watt

100-watt                                  23-25-watt

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