ATLANTA, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The Home Depot, the world’s largest specialty home improvement retailer, today announces tips and product choices to support the reduction of monthly energy costs and the impact on our earth.

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According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for nearly 11 percent of an average household’s energy consumption. Making improvements to your lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills. Using new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in your home by 50% to 85%.

Beginning January 2012, the United States will launch a multi-year phase-out of incandescent bulbs as part of a push toward a clean energy future. Energy-efficient light bulbs have been used for over 20 years, but there can be confusion regarding new bulb technologies and the advantages/disadvantages of each type.

As the nation’s largest supplier of light bulbs, The Home Depot has partnered with leading light bulb and accessory manufacturers to offer information on variances between conventional lighting options and newer, energy-efficient lighting choices including light-emitting diodes (LED), compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) and high-efficiency incandescent light bulbs.

LED bulbs typically cost more upfront but will pay off over time, as the bulbs use up to 85 percent less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs while emitting the same amount of light and last as much as 25 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs and 10 times longer than CFLs.

CFL bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs while emitting the same amount of light. Depending on the type and wattage, up to $55 can be saved over the lifecycle of each bulb. The Home Depot offers complimentary CFL recycling at every retail store location in the United States.

High-Efficiency incandescent bulbs cost an average of $1.00 more than standard incandescent bulbs, however, they are 28 percent more efficient than standard bulbs.

To learn more about how LED, CFL and High-Efficiency lighting works – and how changes in the lighting industry will affect you as a consumer – visit www.Homedepot.com/LightBulbs

The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,244 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. In fiscal 2010, The Home Depot had sales of $68.0 billion and earnings from continuing operations of $3.3 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates.

SOURCE The Home Depot