September 1st, 2009 was an illuminating day for consumers in the European Union. At midnight, a ban on traditional incandescent bulbs shut out the lights on that outdated technology and began saving consumers five billion euros a year in energy costs.

The move is good news for the environment, and it won't be long before it arrives on these shores as well. A phase-out of incandescent lighting will begin in the U.S. in 2012, and in 2014 Americans will say goodbye to a device little changed since Thomas Edison patented his first bulb in 1879. In its place will be a new generation of lighting technologies.

These include LED bulbs, which are the longest-lasting and most energy-efficient consumer lighting available today. Though LEDs have struggled to provide high levels of warm light at affordable prices, progress is being made. Panasonic, for example, has introduced a 40,000-hour LED bulb in Japan that matches a 60W incandescent using just 6.9 watts. Philips has created an LED halogen replacement that uses just 10% of the energy and lasts for 15 years. Other new energy-saving technologies on the horizon include Organic Light Emitting Diode lighting, which comes in thin flexible sheets that glow brightly in almost any color, and bulbs like the Vu1, a dimmable, mercury-free alternative to recessed light reflector bulbs that lasts 6,000 hours and requires only one third as much electricity.

While these new forms of lighting work out their respective kinks, consumers are turning to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) to save money and energy . Now a mature technology, today's CFLs mimic the shapes and output of traditional bulbs, come on instantly, last up to 15,000 hours, and cost only a dollar or so. Even dimmable models are available.

Facts like these have made CFLs a popular option for American families. Today, 11% of all the sockets in the U.S. are filled by CFLs, and 330 million are sold every year. The environmental benefits these bulbs produce are significant: According to the Department of Energy, each time every household in the U.S. replaces just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, we save enough energy to light over three million homes for a year and create the carbon-savings equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road.

The advantages even extend to the infamous mercury found inside CFLs, which has dropped significantly. Today's bulbs use at least 20% less mercury than those manufactured just two years ago and contain an average of only four milligrams, an amount that covers less than half the head of a pin. Some brands use as little as 1 milligram. By comparison, old mercury thermometers contained 500 times as much.

Most of this mercury becomes bound to the inside of the bulb as it's used. That's why the EPA estimates that only about 14% of the mercury found in a CFL is released into the environment if and when the bulb is sent to the landfill (something we don't recommend!). Because most of America's mercury pollution comes from coal-fired power plants, even when CFLs are landfilled, each one still prevents the net release of about four milligrams of mercury compared to incandescent bulb usage thanks to the electricity they save during their lifetime. When we properly dispose of our CFLs, they save even more. Here's our advice:

• First, some precaution: Don't use CFLs in fixtures where tip-overs or other accidents are a risk, and don't chance accidental breakage by forcing a CFL into a stubborn socket or using the glass portion of the bulb to screw it in and out.
• Always dispose of burned-out CFLs at your local hazardous waste collection site.
• If a CFL breaks, don't worry. Remember that the amount of mercury available for release is extremely small. For maximum protection, shut off any forced air heating or air-conditioning that's on, open your windows for ventilation, and clear the area for 15 minutes to allow any vapors to dissipate. Then move in for the clean-up.
• Don disposable gloves and place larger glass pieces in a screw-top glass jar. Use card stock or other stiff paper to gently sweep up smaller bits being careful not to stir up any dust. Use duct tape to blot up the dust and any remaining fragments. Then wipe down the area with a damp paper towel. Seal the tape and the towel in the jar as well, and take the whole thing to your hazardous waste collection site.

As you can see, clean-up is easy, and the benefits of CFLs far outweighs their negligible risks. If you haven't made the switch, now's the time! Join the Billion Bulb Challenge to learn more about everything CFLs save, and help lead the world to an energy-efficient future!

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photo: Mike and Kelly Schellhouse