There are a lot of ways to live "green" in our homes these days.  One involves the way we light them.

Lighting expert Marc Malvizzi says there is plenty of new lighting technology that can make your home environmentally friendly and most of it will save you money too

"There's no better way to tell how much money you're spending on your electric bill than watching your electric meter spin," says Malvizzi.  

Because the new bulbs use less energy they significantly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced.

The new sprial fluorescents also come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

They're made to fit almost any fixture.  They're more expensive than traditional bulbs but they should cost you less in the long run.

"This lamp, for example is 10,000 hours. The average light bulb is about 800 hours, maybe 1500

Hours. So you might pay three times more, but it's going to last maybe 5 times longer," says Malvizzi. 

An occupancy sensor is another good idea.   It's designed to turn lights off automatically when people aren't in a room.   If you think sensors are a bit much, you could go with a simple timer. 
Malvizzi says, "we're trying to have products that can save people money cause, let's face it, electric bills aren't going down."

Legislation is already being considered that would ban the standard light bulbs we've been using for years.