With dark winter days and holiday entertaining just around the corner, now is a good time to think about creating the right atmosphere through lighting.
Energy-efficient light bulbs have come a long way in recent years, and there are many different shapes, color temperatures, and even dimmable bulbs available. To help you choose the right bulb for the fixture and mood you want, ENERGY STAR has created an online Choose a Light Guide.
The interactive guide lets you choose a light fixture, such as a lamp, overhead light, or wall sconce, and then play with different shape and color options including soft white, bright white, and daylight. As each option is selected, the image changes to give you a sense of how that bulb would look, and the text panel displays informative details. The guide doesn't include LED bulbs, but it's a great resource if you're shopping for CFLs.
• Check it out: Choose a Light Guide
Related: What's the Best CFL or LED Lightbulb Brand?
(Image: Flickr member sundazed licensed under Creative Commons)
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For people who hate CFLs, and don't want to pay 20 dollars for an LED light bulb, Ikea now has halogen bulbs. While not nearly as energy efficient as CFLs or LEDs, the do use about 30% less energy than an incandescent bulb, they are instant on, dimmable, and cost about as much as a CFL.
I'm using them now on a couple of cords that I have a dimmer on that previously had incandescent, and have been very happy with them:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80176123