3. Replace incandescent light bulbs.

The average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting. Traditional incandescent light bulbs convert only about 10% of the energy they consume into light, while the rest becomes heat. The use of new lighting technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), can reduce the energy use required by lighting by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time that lights are on but not being used.

Here are some facts about CFLs and LEDs:

• CFLs use 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

• LEDs last even longer than CFLs and consume less energy.

• LEDs have no moving parts and, unlike CFLs, they contain no mercury.

#lightbulbs, #LEDs, # CFLs, #