Light bulbs

80 per cent of bulbs in UK homes are inefficient, wasteful "incandescent" bulbs. But, for around 30 years, an altogether better option has been available to us - the energy saving bulb, or thr CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp).

CFLs use five times less energy, lasts up to 12 times longer and could save UK consumers around £1.2 billion in electricity bills per year. If all domestic bulbs in the UK were CFLs, the we could cut our CO2 emissions by over five million tonnes - more than the CO2 emitted by 26 of the world's lowest emitting countries combined.

And that's just light bulbs. Imagine the CO2 and energy savings we could achieve if governments simply banned the least efficient fridges, TVs, computers and washing machines from sale.

Our light bulb campaign aims to persuade supermarkets, DIY shops and department stores to make the switch, increase their range of energy saving bulbs and voluntarily take all incandescents off their shelves. With the government unlikely to bring in an energy efficiency law anytime soon, we're working to make sure retailers acknowledge the urgency of climate change and take the lead.

Find out what CFLs are, where you can get them (maybe even for free) and exactly what this campaign aims to achieve in our bulb FAQ. If you think CFLs are ugly, expensive and limited in range, allow us to explode some myths for you, and have a look around our gallery. And please don't forget to find out what you can do to help us win the campaign.

You can also read about our campaign to get retailers to make the switch, and ditch power crazy light bulbs in favour of energy efficient CFLs. Our league table shows which retailers have made positive commitments to energy efficiency and which ones are stumbling around in the dark.