Whether you are motivated by money or concern about global warming, changing out your light bulbs and fixtures can make a huge difference on both fronts.

I was driving down the 405 freeway in Los Angeles one day past Long Beach. If you have made the drive, you know much of it occurs at speeds of about 5 miles an hour given the traffic. As I inched along, I slowly passed the local gasoline refinery. I tisked my head thinking of all the harm coming from the massive pollutants. Of course, I was driving a car, but why look in the mirror?

Upon arriving home, I did what every American does. I flipped on the television and started channel surfing. Settling on a home improvement show, I was surprised to hear a lengthy desertion on light bulbs and light fixtures. Considering the fact I had about 8 lights on at the time, I paid a bit more attention and learned some interesting things.

The lighting in our homes is a massive energy waster. Because we receive the electricity from petroleum fueled power plants, this energy waste also contributes to the climate problems we are having since the power plants emit greenhouse gases. Cutting to the chase, most light bulbs and light fixtures are roughly 60 percent efficient. Unless you are playing baseball, that is a criminal figure.

The high and mighty who whine about the destruction of the environment [that would be me] should take a look at the lighting in their home. Lumbering off the couch, I did just that and found that all my light bulbs were energy wasters. The next day, I slunk down to the hardware store, picked up some Energy Star bulbs and was able to climb back up on my soap box.

So, you are probably wondering what kind of a difference changing your light bulbs could possible make. Well, a lot. If each household in the country changes five light bulbs, we will eliminate one TRILLION pounds of greenhouse gases from being emitted to the atmosphere. The country in general will save over six billion dollars in energy use. Individually, each household will save $60 on average, which more than makes up for the cost of buying the energy efficient bulbs.

It was somewhat surprising to me that such a small change could make such a big impact. If you feel strongly about the environment, global warming or just saving some money on the utility bill, you should probably go have a look at your lights.