ENERGY

It’s a no-brainer: great bulb, less energy.

Switch to energy-efficient LED light bulbs. Take this step and decide a level of commitment that works for you. Try it for a month to see how you do.

Try it

START HERE

How many hours are your lights on each day?

Save With LED Lights

LED lights are the most energy-efficient bulbs available. They use 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs for the same amount of light. Unlike older technologies, most of the energy LEDs use goes into creating light, rather than wasting energy on heat. Almost any bulb currently in use can be replaced by LEDs, and they come in many different styles and tones. They might cost a bit more than a regular bulb, but they last much longer and will save you money in the long run.

Individual Impact

Combined Impact

Effort

Tips

First, understand what bulbs you have. Incandescent bulbs are the old style bulbs with a glowing filament, and halogen bulbs are similar but just a little more efficient. Both are hot to touch when turned on because of the energy they waste producing heat. You should definitely replace these bulbs with LEDs as soon as you can.

CFLs or Compact Fluorescent Lamps (the twisty bulbs) are much more efficient than incandescents, so you should only consider replacing them with LEDs only when they reach their end.

Once you’ve replaced your light bulbs, make sure you recycle or dispose of your old lights in a safe way.

Benefits

Switching to LED lights is a very effective way to save on energy bills and cut your carbon emissions. Over 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved just by changing the bulbs in people’s homes - even more could be saved if offices and retailers do the same thing.

LED bulbs might cost a bit more than regular bulbs, but they last 25 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs so you’ll save more money over time, too.

Steps

REFERENCES

LEDs use 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs for the same amount of light
Project Drawdown, LED Lighting
As LEDs replace less-efficient lighting, 10.2–10.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided in residences and 5.9–6.7 gigatons in commercial buildings.
Project Drawdown, LED Lighting
Residential LEDs - especially ENERGY STAR rated products - use at least 75% less energy, and last up to 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting.
Energy.gov
Impact metric calculations
To determine the carbon emission reduction estimates related to switching to LED lights, the following calculation was performed:
(hours of bulb operation /day) x (number of bulbs to be replaced) x (days/year) / (months/year) x (W of Current bulb - W of LED bulb) x (0.475 kg CO2e/kWh) / (1000 Wh/kWh) = kg CO2e / month
For detailed calculations, references and assumptions, please see our Methodology page.

Impact metric calculations