Were you to visit a shop in Europe, you might see the proprietor switch on the ceiling light as you enter, and turn it off before you get out the door. Europeans aren’t cheap or impolite. They are simply energy conscious.

In Portugal, Spain and France many people are using fluorescent lighting where one might expect to see a standard household bulb. Even the track-lighting fixtures in some homes are filled with candle-shaped fluorescent bulbs.

Though you might not want to switch lights on and off as your guests travel from room to room, you can do something else to save on your light bill.

Energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are unique because each bulb has its own starter as opposed to the tube type where the starter is located within the fixture. CFLs are more readily available than ever before and they provide soft, even lighting. Though they’re more expensive, they can last ten-to-twenty times as long as conventional incandescent bulbs. In the long run, you save by using fluorescent bulbs. They will save you about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime.

A 20 watt CFL provides light equal to that of a conventional 75 watt bulb. That’s an energy savings of 73% for the same amount of light. And, it’s light that’s easier on the eyes. Plus, a CFL produces about 75% less heat, which can save still more energy by cutting cooling costs. CFLs provide the greatest savings in fixtures that are on for a long time each day. The best fixtures in which to use CFLs are usually found in your family and living rooms, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and outdoors.

If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy and do not get as hot as halogen torchieres.

You can save even more by installing controls such as timers and photo cells that save electricity by turning lights off when not in use. Dimmers save electricity when used to lower light levels. Be sure to select products that are compatible with CFL bulbs; not all products work with CFLs.

The average life of a $2 incandescent bulb is about 1000 hours. With fluorescent bulbs, $14 gets you at least 10,000 hours and in some cases 20,000 hours or more.

By the way, CFLs do contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. So, please dispose of them responsibly. Many retailers offer free recycling services for consumers at their stores.

Do your eyes and your pocketbook a favor. Give compact fluorescent lighting a shot. Visit www.EnergyStar.gov to find the right light bulbs for your fixtures. They are available in sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture.