With the energy-efficiency standards on light bulbs changing, the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund is encouraging businesses and residents to buy the best bulbs on the market.
On Jan. 1, changes in federal law required incandescent light bulb manufacturers to meet new energy efficiency standards, as part of a complete 2014 phasing out of the standard wattage bulbs of 100, 75, 50 and 40.
While new halogen incandescent light bulbs are on the market that are 20-30 percent more energy efficient than the standard bulbs, CEEF says the smarter purchase is for higher standard bulbs that need less electricity and last longer.
Consumers should buy compact fluorescent light bulbs and light-emitting diodes that emit the same amount of light as a halogen, but are better on energy efficiency, according to CEEF.
CFLs and LEDs cost more than halogens, but consumers recovery that cost because those bulbs are cheaper to use and have a longer life than halogens.
