Purchasing a CFL?
If every household in Missouri replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, it would reduce the state’s annual electricity consumption by more than 144 million kilowatthours―enough to light 14,484 homes.
How to Choose and Where to Use CFLs   ENERGY STAR®-qualified CFLs provide the greatest savings in fixtures that in use for a substantial amount of time each day. At a minimum, ENERGY STAR recommends installing qualified CFLs in fixtures that are used at least 15 minutes at a time or several hours per day. The best fixtures to use qualified CFLs in are usually found in the following areas of your home:
	family and living rooms
	kitchen
	dining room
	bedrooms
	outdoors
ENERGY STAR-qualified CFLs
	Use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
	Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.
	Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.
	Are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, for indoors and outdoors.
	Do not need to be changed as often; therefore, making a CFL ideal for those hard-to-reach fixtures.
How to Choose the Right Light
Consider these tips to match the right CFL to your lighting fixture:
	CFLs perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, such as table and floor lamps, wall sconces, pendants, and outdoor fixtures.
	For recessed fixtures, it is better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral CFL since the design of the reflector evenly distributes the light down to your task area.
	If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer or three-way socket fixture, you'll need to use a special ENERGY STAR qualified CFL designed to work in these applications. Make sure to look for CFLs that specify “use with dimmers” or “three-way fixtures.”
	Choose a qualified ENERGY STAR CFL that offers a shade of white light that works best for you. While most CFLs provide warm or soft white light for your home, you could choose a cooler color for task lighting.
	To choose the ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL with the right amount of light, find a qualified CFL that is labeled as equivalent to the incandescent bulb you are replacing. Light bulb manufacturers include this information on the product packaging. Common terms include "Soft White 60" or "60-Watt Replacement."
	Check the lumen rating to find the right CFL. The higher the lumen rating, the greater the light output. The following chart can help you determine the best CFL wattage to replace your incandescent light bulb.
	CFL bulbs can be used in any operating position unless there are printed instructions on the lamp or packaging that indicates a required operating position.
	Some electronic timers and photocells contain parts that are incompatible with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Using these CFLs in incompatible products will result in a shorter light bulb life. To find out if an electronic timer or photocell is compatible with compact fluorescent bulbs, check with the manufacturer.
	CFLs are designed to operate within a specific temperature range. Temperatures below the range cause reduced output. Most are for indoor use, but there are models available for outdoor use. You can find a CFL's temperature range on most lamp packages. You should install outdoor CFLs in enclosed fixtures to minimize the adverse effects of colder temperatures.