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While the savings are not immediate, over the course of a few months it is easy to spot the financial benefits of compact fluorescent light bulbs. If one changes all the light bulbs in a house or business with these bulbs and then goes and looks at the energy meter for the building the 'energy wheel' that indicates energy consumption will likely have slowed down indicating energy savings.

There are several brands of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's) that include general electric, phillips, commercial electric, TCPi, Corallife and others. The bulbs come in in different shapes and sizes and various brands can be found in various places such as Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes and local hardware stores. The standards compact fluorescent light bulb fits a regular light bulb socket but comes in different lumen output and wattage consumption amounts. These bulbs use about 25-33% less wattage to output the same amount of light as an incandescent light bulb. Some of the compact fluorescent light bulbs look like traditional bulbs and therefore can fit with a lamp shade whereas others have coil like shapes and are better in light indentures and non-mountable uses. Some of the compact fluorescent light bulbs also fit in work lamp and overhead light fixtures that hold the long hozintal bulbs similar to those used in office buildings and schools. Other shapes include circlular, ultra-slim, U-Bent and globe.

When selecting the right compact fluorescent bulb take in to account the price, energy consumption, life span and appearance of the bulbs. Lower prices can sometimes be obtained in closeout stores like big lots and/or in multi-packs leading to quicker savings. While CFL's use far less energy than incandescent bulbs they may vary by a few watts and a few watts can add up if a lot of light bulbs are being replaced. Also, the life span can be as long as 7 years or 10, 000 hours which is quite alot more than the average life span of an incandescent light bulb. The quality of the compact fluorescent light bulb may be influenced by the manufacturing process and parts used thereby affecting life span. By comparing all these features with other CFL bulbs one can assess the best deal in one's shopping region.

Another thing to consider when shopping for compact fluorescent bulbs is the type of light output one is interested in. CFL's come in various shades, tints and tones. For example some types of CFL light styles include daylight, cool white, soft white, and bright white. These

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