The art of saving energy requires making a large list of ways to reduce consumption, and acting on all of them. The cummulative list of small changes adds up to a large savings. That being said, changing to compact flourescent light bulbs is already a pretty big improvement all by itself. They claim to last 10 years. What I learned from an electrician is that compact flourescents loose a little life every time you turn them on. So you have to decide when in the evening that you really need them, turn them on and leave them on until you don’t need them any more, then shut them off for the night. No more following the kids around, shutting off lights, but you have to change habits to conserve. They also contain mercury, so you have to be conscientious when you dispose of them. On the bright side, they use only 1/4 (25 percent) of the electricity of standard bulbs. I use them in my whole house. As a society, we must re-evaluate how much light we need to function and just plain cut back. Dim lighting is quite relaxing, and you will be going to bed not long after dark anyway. Put windows in smart places for daytime lighting.
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls
Light Emitting Diode LED Bulbs use much less energy than flourescent bulbs, but they don’t cast as much light and might sometimes require two bulbs in the place of one. On the bright side, LEDs are very durable, and ideal for decoratively lit objects in lobbies, illuminating signs and walkways, emergency lights, and many more places. I use them to illuminate my canvas when I paint because the light is more natural white, and they don’t cause much glare.