• Energy-efficient bulbs can reduce the cost of lighting a home.light bulb image by sheldon gardner from Fotolia.com
  
  Energy-efficient lighting can result in significant savings compared to traditional electric lighting, which consume on average a quarter of a home's energy budget, according to the U.S Department of Energy. Efficient lighting can result in a saving of between 50 and 90 percent on the cost of lighting a home, depending on the type of energy-efficient lighting used. Yet consumers should understand the downsides of efficient lighting before making the switch.
  
  

Initial Cost

• Energy-efficient lights save consumers money in the long run because they use less electricity than traditional bulbs and typically have a longer lifespan. However, they have a higher up-front cost, because these types of bulbs are significantly more expensive than incandescent lights.
  
  

Mercury

• Mercury is a metal that can have adverse effects on health. It can be found in most compact fluorescent lights, one common type of energy-efficient lighting, notes Earth Easy on its website. Most CFL bulbs contain about 5mg of mercury. This is just a fraction of the average amounts of mercury found in many watch batteries. The mercury poses no health risk inside a bulb, but if a bulb breaks, people may come into direct contact with it. Additionally, improper disposal of these types of bulbs could result in the mercury ending up in the soil and water supply.
  
  

Applications

• Energy-efficient lights tend to be more sensitive than traditional lights to frequent on and off cycling, according to Eartheasy's website. For instance, CFLs are rated for 10,000 hours of use, but this life span can be reduced if the lighting is constantly being switched on and off. Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs are better suited for these types of applications. However, LEDs are even more expensive than CFLs.
  
  

Illumination

• While manufacturers of energy-efficient lights often tout their products as being able to mimic the appearance of illumination produced by incandescent light bulbs, many people disagree. Because energy-efficient lighting generates less heat than traditional bulbs, they emit a "cold" white light that some people dislike. They also "throw" light in patterns that are different than traditional lights. People who enjoy the warm glow of incandescent light bulbs may find that energy-efficient lights take some getting used to.