# Swap the last incandescent bulbs

Example. Written for ClaimCheck to show a claim that mostly holds.

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If you still have incandescent bulbs in the lamps you leave on for
hours, swap them for LEDs. The U.S. Department of Energy says LEDs
use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last
up to 25 times longer, for the same light. Compare by lumens, not
watts: an LED around 800 lumens replaces an old 60-watt bulb.

How much it saves depends on how many incandescents you have left
and how long they burn. DOE's lighting guide says lighting is about
15% of an average home's electricity, so in a house still full of
old bulbs it adds up. In a home that already switched most fixtures,
the remaining savings are small — start with the bulbs that are on
three or more hours a day.

One trade-off: an incandescent's waste heat slightly warms the room,
so in a cold climate some of the saving shows up as a little more
heating. In summer it works the other way, and the air conditioner
does less.

Source: DOE, *Guide to Energy Efficient Lighting* (DOE/EE-0344).