The Magic Bulb

The Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb or CFL for short. Truly a magic bulb and a magic bullet in the fight against unclean energy and global warming.

Compact fluorescents only use 25%-33% of the energy of the dinosaur incandescent light bulb. And they last 10 times as long! That’s around 10,000 hours. And no flickering. No buzzing. Just pure, clean, energy-saving light.

Change just one light bulb to a compact fluorescent and change the world, seriously. For each 100W bulb you replace, you’ll be saving 1,300 pounds of CO2 per year. If every American household switched just 1 old incandescent bulb to a compact fluorescent, it would:

• Reduce electricity by 5 gigawatts, the output of 5 nuclear power plants
• Whack the equivalent of CO2 emissions from 1 Million cars

Take Action: Join thousands in taking the pledge to change just one light bulb in 2007. Visit the Energy Star Change a Light, Change the World campaign site. In 5 seconds, you’ll make a difference in your energy bill and the planet’s future.

Which compact fluorescents to buy? Look for the ENERGY STAR seal of approval. Some of my favorite CFL brands are:

• Home Depot n:vision
• Philips Marathon

Find the stores near you that sell CFLs. See special offers for CFLs here. PG&E offers instant rebates in stores on many CFLs too, just look for the stickers!

A great rule of thumb: CFLs use about a quarter of the wattage to produce the same light. So to replace a traditional 60-watt bulb, look for a CFL that's about 15 watts.

Thomas Edison, we will always love you for giving us light. Now let’s move forward into the future one bright spiral at a time. Take the Change A Light pledge today