Why Abandon the Incandescents Bulbs?

Invented by Thomas Edison in last quarter of the 19th century, modern incandescent electric light bulbs have been lighting much of the world for more than 100 years. Incandescent bulbs are lit by heating a wire tungsten filament until it begins to glow. Because approximately 90 percent of the energy generated in these bulbs is heat instead of light, they are extremely inefficient. The average incandescent bulb has a lifespan of about 1,200 hours - a fraction of what you can get from a CFL or LED bulb.

Halogen lights are a more efficient form of incandescent lighting because they last longer; however, they get hotter than regular incandescent bulbs and pose fire and burn hazards.

For nearly every incandescent bulb still in use today, there's a CFL or LED bulb that can replace it - saving energy and curbing carbon emissions. If you still have incandescents at work or home, it's time to send them back to the Dark Ages and switch over to energy-saving CFL and eco-friendly LED light bulbs.

Surveys show a lot of Americans don't know about a federal law that'll phase out most incandescent bulbs by 2014.