Looking for some energy saving ideas that will also save you some money? Your home lighting choices may be one of the easiest ways to start. With a few simple changes in your home lighting you can be saving money and energy tomorrow.

The average home in America uses around 45 light bulbs and if you are using incandescent bulbs you are wasting your money. A large percent of the energy used to create light with an incandescent bulb is wasted in the form of heat. This is why these types of bulbs can get very hot during operation.

A relatively recent addition to the home lighting arsenal is the compact florescent light (CFL) bulb. CFLs run cooler, use much less energy and are now comparable in price to the inexpensive incandescent bulbs. CFLs may look like one of the great energy saving ideas, but there is more to this bulb.

These bulbs work on the principle of exciting phosphor, the main chemical compound inside the CFL, which converts ultraviolet radiation into visible light. Unfortunately CFLs also contain toxic mercury. The EPA estimates that about 5 milligrams (or enough to cover the head of a pen) of mercury is used to increase the bulbs efficiency. It is the mercury that can cause potential problems.

If you were to break the glass casing of a CFL bulb (who hasn’t broken a light bulb at some time?) you would release the toxic mercury into the air. Energy Star has a 12 point list of things to do after breaking a CFL bulb which starts with clearing the room of people and pets and opening a window for 15 minutes.

The clean up list goes on to specifics about the proper way to clean up such a mess, but the point here is that breaking a CFL bulb can lead to a hazardous situation. CFLs are definitely not looking like one of the most eco friendly energy saving ideas now.

There is a solution though, the new generation of eco friendly bulbs are light emitting diodes (LED). LEDs are a completely different technology based around a solid state circuit making the LED much more durable and safe than a CFL.

LEDs also use one third less energy than a CFL bulb and run cooler (warm to the touch). The technology is still somewhat new, so the price of an LED bulb is high. LEDs sell for around $25 for an average household bulb or about what the same CFL cost a few years ago.

But when you take into account that an LED bulb will last for an average 8 – 10 years (about 6 times longer than a CFL) the high price doesn’t seem so bad. As the LED market grows, which it will, the prices will drop just like the CFL prices dropped.

If you’re still not convinced that LED light bulbs are one of the great energy saving ideas consider this, Kohl’s, Macys, McDonalds, Disneyland and Coca Cola have all committed to switching over from CFL bulbs to LED bulbs. These corporations see the value in spending the money now to save later and avoid the toxic risk altogether.

Macy’s estimates that after its initial expenditure of $40 million it will save $110 million in energy expenses alone (during the first 10 years), not counting the lack of maintenance the LED bulbs require. As energy saving ideas go, LED bulbs are looking like a bright one for all of us.