It’s amazing what a little light bulb can do!

Our front porch was pathetic. We had an old light fixture that was removed when we added the new siding, and there it sat. No light. Wires poking out. If you came to our house at night, you wouldn’t find it! But now, our little barn light lights up the joint and we won’t have to replace that light bulb until a few years from now.

What?! A few years? Let’s back up a bit. I searched for the perfect little barn light. This one was just the right price and the right size. But not the right color...

I spray painted it black to match the house and added a bulb. And replaced that bulb shortly after. And again. And yet, a third time it burnt out.

I wanted to try an energy efficient CFL (that’s compact fluorescent light bulb), but didn’t want that swirly look greeting my guests as they walked up to the door. I also remember them kinda turning on in slow motion, starting out dim and getting brighter as time went on.

GE has this nifty Energy Smart® CFL Savings Calculator, and I plugged in our info to see if going CFL would save us anything. By switching all of the light bulbs in our house, we would save around $158 a year! Try it out for yourself here.

I went to Walmart in search of some CFLs for our outdoor light and some other hard to reach lights, and there were a lot of choices! I was kinda intimidated and felt like I had no clue what I was looking for.

 

Here’s what I normally get. Maybe they’re cheaper, but not if I’m replacing them a million times!

But the signage on the packages was really easy to understand, and before long, I felt like a pro. I even had a guy come up to me and ask me what I recommended. 🙂

While the lightbulb I’m using may say “15 watts”, it replaces a 60 watt bulb. Ahhhh, so that’s where the energy savings comes in!

 
You can read more about my shopping experience by taking a look at my Google+ album here.

Remember when I said I didn’t want a swirly bulb? I didn’t have to get one! GE makes new CFLs that are encased and look like a normal lightbulb. So energy saving, money saving, time saving (I don’t have to buy new bulbs and replace them), and they don’t look swirly? YES!

I 

I made a new wreath for my door (more about that later on this week). It’s almost like a happy pinata wreath to celebrate our new energy savings! 😉

I popped in my new bulb and maybe this is where I should tell you that

“WOW!!! IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!”

But uhhh, It didn’t.

And that’s a good thing! 😉

You can switch to CFLs and save energy, and nothing has to change! You spend a little bit more up front, but in the long run you’re saving money. Remember how I was worried that there would be a lag when turning on the light? No issues, the light turned on as soon as I flipped the switch.

The only thing that changed is that I won’t have to get a ladder and replace this light every few months!

Walmart has many other CFL options from GE, including “Reveal” bulbs for more of a cool white tone. If you’re into the swirly kind, they have plenty of those too! If you’re not into CFLs, they have Energy Efficient soft white light bulbs that are similar to an incandescent light, yet will still net an energy savings.

You can always check out GE’s website, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter. If you’d like to see other posts on saving energy, search the #GELighting hashtag on twitter!

Look how bright these bulbs look!

Want to save even more money? Click on the widget below or in my sidebar to print off a coupon for $1 off!

You can also check out this funny video from GE Lighting below.

Hey! Install your lightbulbs and it will rain money in your house! Kidding. Well, maybe... 😉

 

One more look at that before and after?

 

Do you use Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) in your home?

 

 

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. and GE. #CBias #SocialFabric . All opinions expressed are my own.