Most people know that the increase in energy that we are consuming, coupled with the many other activities we enjoy daily, are starting to take their toll on the Earth?s environment. However, making your home more environmentally friendly can be costly and can mean making drastic changes to your lifestyle. BUT it doesn?t have to be that way. The average light fitting in the home contains a bulb which runs off your electricity supply. These vary in brightness and strength, and this is shown in the wattage of the bulb. Generally these bulbs are fixed into the light fitting either with a bayonet or a screw cap. These can be different in diameter dependent on the lamp but a wide range is available in most supermarkets, department or hardware stores. Bulbs start off quite cheaply and get more expensive the more specialised they are, but a standard 60 watt light bulb can cost only a matter of pence. Energy saving light bulbs have become more widely recognised over the past decade. However, traditionally they have been expensive to purchase and so have put many people off fitting them in their homes. The good news is that the price of these light bulbs has reduced significantly over the years and that even more is now known about the benefits of using them. In addition, the energy saving bulbs used to be large, bulky and an odd shape. They are now available in more shapes and sizes than they were originally and although they are still slightly bigger than standard bulbs, the difference is minimal. Energy saving light bulbs are initially more costly to buy than standard bulbs. This is an unavoidable fact. However, they use approximately one fifth of the electricity that a standard bulb costs, meaning that they last eight to ten times longer than a standard bulb. The energy saving bulbs don't cost as much to buy as 8 standard bulbs and so you are saving yourself money as soon as you make the initial investment. Couple this with the fact that where you would need a 60 watt standard bulb you will only require a 12 watt energy saving one, meaning that you will also benefit from a reduction in the amount of electricity you use, therefore cutting your bills. If the financial aspects of suing energy saving bills are not enough alone to convince you to buy them then bear in mind that by doing something as small as changing your bulb you are also having a positive effect on the environment of the world in which you live.