Not long ago I decided that, whether my roommates liked it or not, the apartment was going green. I switched the electricity over to wind and low-impact hydro, I replaced their fluffy white TP (which constantly clogged the toilet) with some eco-friendly Seventh Gen. But when it came to switching out our light bulbs… I balked. $5 a light bulb to make my apartment look like a cubicle in the financial district? No. Not gonna happen.

So I did what I always do, I turned to the nerd within and started researching light bulbs. A few hours later I was bursting with information and I had found that choosing a good CFL is really simple—if you know what to look for. True there are still some concerns with CFLs, they can contain large amounts of mercury, they need to be properly recycled when they die, but my largest concern was that they can last 5yrs or longer and I have slight commitment issues.

In the end I was converted. With incandescents only 10-15% of energy consumed turns to light, the rest turns into heat in my already overheated Manhattan apartment. CFLs on the other hand don’t produce much heat, they’re up to 75% more efficient, and in the long run they will save me money… lots of money. I spent about $75 buying 15 bulbs; over their lifetime they will save me over $900 in electric costs. Oh yes, and the CFLs I bought, they’re pretty.

Here are my tips:

WATCH YOUR COLOR TEMPERATURE: If you don’t want to live in a hospital ward, pick a bulb labeled “warm white” or 2700K. Bright white, cool white and even daylight are often closer to the lighting they used in Office Space than what the names would suggest—my roommate Michelle mistakenly bought daylight bulbs last month… now she’s off the wagon again and using incandescents…

SIZE MATTERS: Buy a bulb that’s too big and you’ll have a glowing orb bursting well beyond its fixture. Make sure you check out the size of the bulb before you buy to be sure it'll fit— bulbs in the shape of mini-twists, mini-spirals, and the traditional looking A-shapes are almost always safe bets.

KEEP YOUR BRIGHTS ON: Look for something that has a quick warm up time and a brightness of 800+ lumens, so when you bring over your…um… new friend… to show off the apartment, they can see the place in it’s shining glory before you sweep them off their feet and turn the lights off again.

When you're READY TO BUY: Find the specific bulb to suit your needs at Environmental Defense. They have a really awesome search engine here where you can personalize your pick and find links to buy. Otherwise, check out my personal favorites, the MaxLite A-shape and the Feit Ecobulb mini-twist at the Energy Federation site.