Get New Bulbs
You probably know that those twisty compact fluorescent lightbulbs are more energy efficient — in fact, ones that are Energy Star qualified use about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescents. They now come in a covered style that resembles a regular bulb, so they don’t look strange in certain fixtures, and can hold a clamp-on lampshade. Manufacturers have also worked to reduce that hard blue cast typical of earlier fluorescent lights. CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, so you should follow the EPA’s directions for disposal and cleanup if one breaks (epa.gov/mercury/spills). To find out which CFLs have the best light quality and brightness, GHRI and consumer testers compared a standard 60-watt “soft white” lightbulb against 23 equivalent CFLs. The big illumination: Our winner’s light quality was preferred over the regular incandescent!

Best of the Test
Overall winner: Satco Energy Saving Mini Spiral Bulb 13W  

Turn Down the Lights
It’s a no-brainer: The lower the lights, the less electricity used. In cases where you use regular bulbs (many CFLs aren’t compatible with dimmer switches unless the package says so), setting your dimmer at 75 percent output saves an estimated 20 percent in energy — and can quadruple the life of the bulbs.