Lighting-Facts and Figures

Standard incandescent bulbs cost the least to purchase, but the most to operate. Only 10 percent of the energy consumed is used to produce light; the rest is wasted as heat.

A heavy cost of dust on a light bulb can block up to 50 percent of the light output.

A compact fluorescent light bulb, which costs between $5-$20, can pay for itself in energy savings in about two years, and it'll last for two more years.

A 100-watt bulb produces 50 percent more light than four 24-watt bulbs -- for the same amount of energy.

When just one room in every home is brightened by EnergyStar lighting, the change will keep over 1 trillion pounds of carbon dioxide out of our air.

A typical household spends $90 a year, or 10 percent of its annual electric bill, on lighting.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75 percent less energy to produce the same amount of light, and they last ten times longer -- up to four years per bulb.

Watts measure the amount of energy needed to power a light bulb. Lumens measure how much light a bulb produces. Energy-saving bulbs produce more lumens per watt of electricity used.

If you replace a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 15-watt compact fluorescent and use it six hours a day, you could see an energy savings of more than $40 over the four-year life of the bulb.