We have talked about lightbulbs in the past. LED lightbulbs have improved dramatically in the past decade. We even wrote an article about how to choose LED lightbulbs for your home.

The bottom line is that if you really want to reduce your energy bill, lightbulbs matter. A recent NYT article called America’s Light Bulb Revolution highlighted once again how much something as simple as what lightbulb you use in your house can lower your electricity bill.

Check out the chart below from the U.S. Census Bureau about America’s household electric use.

After steadily climbing for decades, America’s electric use has been declining in recent years. Why? Congress established the first national light bulb efficiency standards in 2007, which President George W. Bush signed into law. This new law required new light bulbs to use 28 percent less power.

For those who replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs, they are saving about 80% of electricity on lighting, and for some, it all adds up to quite a bit, lowering American electric bills.

New bulbs put out just as much light as old bulbs using much less electricity. The choice of lighting is also comparable to the old bulbs that some people are used to. As always, we are a big fan of things that lower monthly bills without sacrificing much lifestyle and comfort.