"Where else can you put your money and automatically turn on the investment?" asks Doug Root, Atlanta Light Bulbs Sales and Marketing director. "Investing in CFL lighting saves you 80 as soon as you switch it on. You save money, the environment and reduce the need for electricity." Using energy efficient lighting helps reduce greenhouse gases and saves millions of dollars in electricity. CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) use one-third the energy of incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer.

Step 1: Selecting Your CFL.

Be sure to read the box. The first thing to look for is the lamp wattage. Next, be sure to check out the light output. Then look for the life of the bulb (numbers show average use). Most importantly, look for the ENERGY STAR® label on the box. A variety of colors, types and sizes of CFLs are on the market.

Step 2: Installing Your CFL.

Be sure to grab the bulb by the base, not by the glass. This could break the lamp.

Step 3: Disposing of a Broken CFL.

Before clean up, air out the room. Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out. Open a window or leave the room for 15 minutes or more, and shut off your central heating and air conditioning system.

Afterwards, carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using cardboard or stiff paper, and place them in a sealable plastic bag. Use duct tape to pick up any remaining small glass pieces or powder. Wipe the area clean with a damp towel or disposable wipes. Place towels in the plastic bag and discard them. Don't use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

If the broken bulb is on a carpeted area, follow the same disposal steps. After removing particles with duct tape, vacuum only the area where the bulb was broken. Remove the vacuum bag or empty and wipe the canister, and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealable plastic bag.

Looking for Soft Lighting?

Root says many of the myths about CFLs go back to the appearance of the light. Several consumers prefer the warm colored lighting that traditional incandescent bulbs give off. "You can get the same effect with CFLs," he says. "Warm white" CFLs, with a color temperature around 3,000° Kelvin, offer light similar to incandescent lighting.

If every home in the U.S. replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL, in a year's time, it would save enough energy to light more than three million homes. That's the equivalent of preventing the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.

To see these CFL instructions featuring Doug Root in video, visit www.jacksonemc.com/RightChoiceVideoResources.

Safely Recycle Your CFLs

Concerned about properly disposing of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)? There are an increasing number of options for safely recycling them.

Check with your county waste management department to see if it offers CFL recycling. The Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division offers recycling for CFLs and other fluorescent light bulbs. Clarke County residents (not businesses) can bring unbroken bulbs to the recycling center at 699 Hancock Industrial Way.

All Home Depot locations have free consumer CFL recycling and will accept any unbroken bulb, no matter where it was purchased. Each Home Depot store has an orange receptacle for CFL bulbs, usually near the doors or returns desk. For more information, go to www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions. Some Ace Hardware stores offer CFL recycling, and if you're visiting IKEA in Atlanta, you can recycle your CFLs there.

For more information, see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's light bulb recycling information at www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling.