Green energy is the new black. It’s all about cutting back on energy and taking advantage of energy-saving options.  The lighting in your home office is a good place to start. The more common choices of light bulbs (also called lamps) are compact fluorescents and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Both options will help you save energy.

An article in the The New York Times offers a few tips for using compact fluorescents.

• Look for bulbs with the Energy Star label, which indicates they meet at least minimal performance requirements.

• Be aware that compact fluorescents can take one to three minutes to reach full brightness. This is not a defect.  (Instead it’s something that annoys my family.)

• Compact fluorescents contain mercury and should not be disposed of in the trash. Many chains, like Home Depot, offer recycling bins for the bulbs. [Read more...]