The EPA is calling upon Americans to change their conventional light bulbs to compact fluorescent lighting in celebration of the eighth annual Energy Star Change a Light Day today. We at BobVila.com have long been big fans of CFLs and are happy to see they have moved from the fringe to the mainstream, up from 5 percent of the lighting market at the beginning of the decade to approximately 20 percent in 2007. What’s in it for you? A single CFL can save about $30 or more in electrical costs over its lifetime in comparison to an incandescent bulb. Because CFLs are so efficient, they significantly reduce the amount of fossil fuels required to be burned to power them; a single CFL can keep 200 pounds of coal from being burned. As part of the campaign, the EPA is asking people to take the Energy Star pledge, which introduces more things people can do to save money, energy and fight global warming.

Credit: Energy Star pledge