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Fewer watts: brighter future

Fewer watts: brighter future saving electricity with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (cfls) can cost as little as one-tenth of the investment needed to build new power plants that produce the same amount of energy, say scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (lbnl) in California, us.

In the us, where lighting in rural and urban areas accounts for upto a quarter of the electricity demand, cfls are available as twin- or quad-tube bulbs, often with an adaptor that allows them to screw into sockets designed for incandescent bulbs. Since cfls exhibit diffused beams, they are often best for desk lighting and other short-range uses. The us government has even spurred the use of cfls nationally through the