Get the most savings by replacing traditional light bulbs (or entire fixtures) where lights are typically left on the longest, such as your family and living room, kitchen, dining room, and porch. Place energy efficient bulbs in open fixtures that allow air flow. If you're replacing a bulb operating on a dimmer switch, look for designs specifically for this use.

ENERGY STAR® certified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) bulbs:

• Use at least 75% less energy (than incandescent bulbs)
• Last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lighting
• Come in different shapes and sizes, including spiral and globe, to fit in most residential fixtures
• Are convenient in hard-to-reach or high-use fixtures, as they need replacing less often
• Generate 70% less heat than incandescent light bulbs
• Offer a 2-year manufacturer warranty (double the industry standard)
• Do not hum, buzz or flicker
       

You choose less and get more
How do you know which bulb to choose in terms of wattage and light output?

Use the general rule of thumb that a replacement CFL is about 25% of the wattage of an incandescent bulb. (Example: 100 watt incandescent = 23 watt CFL.) Using the chart below you can see that not only does it take a lower wattage bulb to do the same lighting job, but you also get more savings with the CFL choice.
   
Chart: Savings estimates based on a comparison of 10 incandescent light bulbs replaced by 10 CFL bulbs.