The revolution has an emphasis on using Venezuelan produced products like PVC pipes to construct homes. Another major component of the revolution includes an initiative to make Venezuela more self-sufficient in food production, thus quelling the need to import food. Projects to provide additional electrical power through alternative energies like wind and solar technologies are also commencing.

The most notable and measurable success to date for the so-called energy revolution, however, has been Venezuela’s effort to change out standard light bulbs across the country for CFLS (energy-saving compact flourescent light bulbs) exactly like those Chávez donated to Texans. So far, 72.3 million light bulbs have been changed. But the story is perhaps not as simple as it would seem (as is almost any story about Chávez and his schemes).

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Although I am a right-brain, creative type, I enjoy measuring results as much as the next person. This past year, It seemed like everywhere I went, someone was handing me a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL) and explaining how this 15-second change will remove CO2 from the air and fight global warming. That is why I got a kick out of One Billion Bulbs.

Altough there are other sites that will calculate your savings if you switch to CFLs, One Billion Bulbs lets you form a group and measure the results of making the switch.

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Massive change is his message. Though of course individual action is beneficial, action on a larger scale is what’s needed.

Political will.

Praise then goes to the Irish government who have decided on a complete ban of incandescent light bulbs as of 2009.

This ties in so strongly with Mr Gore’s speech where he demanded – and eloquently too – that change needs to happen.

Now.

Not beleagueredly in a few years.

But now.

So is my government concurrent with regards to light bulbs?

No.

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Turning off the lights depends on the bulb. If you still have incandescent bulbs, it is always best to shut the light off when no one is in a room or if you aren’t using the light. Fluorescent lights are a little different, since constantly switching them on and off will make them less efficient. For CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs, if you know you won’t be using it within the next 15 minutes, shut it off.

Maximize the day light. Opening curtains to let in natural light is the best way to do this. However, since a lot of heat can escape through windows, especially older windows, close up the curtains after dark to avoid using more energy to heat your home.

Use directional lights. If you’re sitting at a desk or occupying only part of a room, you may not need to illuminate the whole space. Use smaller lamps to better utilize light in a room.

Install sensors. If you’re redoing a space or constructing a new home, consider installing light sensors that will automatically shut off when no one is in the room.

Department of Energy Home Lighting Information

More from Green Options:

Daily Tip: Lights Out

Better Daylighting

Well actually, they're here. But until prices coming down, most of us will simply rely on compact fluorescents to bridge the gap between changing a bulb one a year to once every couple decades. I spied a new entry into the LED fold over at MetaEfficient with a cool looking bulb called "The EcoLED". According to the stats, this long-lasting, efficient beast will last about 50,000 hours. In scale, that's about 11 years at 12 hours a day. Since I would never leave a light on for that long, you can expect this bulb to shine well into your midlife crisis.

The bulb mimics a 100-watt incandescent but only uses 10 watts of power. According to the site, that's good for $450 in savings and a reduction of more than 9,000lbs of CO2. You'll also want to use this bulb a little differently than the standard light,

"Remember: LED lights are directional (like a spotlight). This EcoLED light has a beam angle of 100 degrees, which is equivalent to a wide spotlight. It is not appropriate for use in lamps with lamp shades or other lighting applications where light needs to be emitted in all directions at once. (However, it can be aimed at a wall or ceiling to produce radiant ambient light that radiates through the entire room.)"

It should be noted that work is underway (especially by GE) to create LED lights that do in fact mimic the light radiance of incandescent and CFL bulbs. The color of LED lights (which is a brilliant, pure white light) is also different from the yellow glow of an incandescent. So far, that hasn't marred their label as "the bulb of the future".

You can pick up the EcoLED for $99 from BetterLifeGoods. While this may seem like ridiculous change for a light bulb, the experience of replacing it in the year 2027 will be simply priceless.

More info after the jump.

The schools provide students and their families a means to exchange incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly CFLs. Students sign pledges vowing to replace their old bulbs with CFLs, supplied by Southern California Edison, and document the wattage of the bulbs they replaced. Bulbs were exchanged at school, during PTO events, parent events, and other school-community activities.

The program set a goal for the 2006-2007 school year: to replace 4,000 bulbs in the homes of district families, but that goal was too conservative. The program replaced over 8,000 bulbs in the fall semester alone. In fact, the program has been so successful that twenty more schools were added for the second semester, and the program expects to easily make their three-year goal of replacing 12,000 bulbs in less than a year.

Think of it this way: in just these nine schools, students have already saved their families a collective $40,000 in energy costs, and about three million kWh over the life of the bulbs. The program anticipates a one-year savings of over $700,000 for student families.

Quality was spotty in the 70s, but this is a new millennium

Apple computers. Punk. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). What do they have in common? They were introduced in the 1970s and are now back in style.

CFLs have improved dramatically from their inauspicious beginnings. They took a while to come on, flickered as they lit and gave off an unpleasant green hue. That was then. CFLs not performing well today is a myth—as fictitious as the urban legend that says Mikey from the Life cereal ad died from noshing on Pop Rocks. He's alive. CFLs rock.

Brighter, whiter, faster

Thanks to improved technology, CFLs are now like familiar old-fashioned incandescent bulbs (ICs) in just about every way. CFLs can be as bright, come on as quickly and provide warm white, eye-pleasing hues. They can even be dimmable and used in 3-way sockets. If you haven't tried a new-fangled CFL, go on, "Try it—you'll like it."

Plus, as their prices have come down and energy rates have ticked up, the savings keep improving. CFLs slash global warming pollution, too.

How CFLs save money and global warming pollution

Turning on a light taps electricity from your local utility. About half our electricity comes from coal-burning power plants and another 20 percent comes from from natural gas, so powering things on generally means spewing lots of heat-trapping pollution. These greenhouse gases drive climate change. So using less electricity means less global warming pollution—and lower electricity bills.

How much savings CFLs rack up

Crunching the numbers is eye-opening. Let's compare a 25-watt CFL costing $3 (a good average price) to a 60-cent, 75-watt IC.

Now, let's turn on both our 10,000-hour CFL and our 750-hour IC bulb at 12:01 a.m. on January 1 and keep them running 24/7 for a year. On December 31, our CFL has racked up extraordinary savings in cash and pollution.

	75-watt IC	CFL	Notes
Initial cost	.60 * 12= $7.2	$3.00	Because the IC bulb only lasts 750 hours, we’ve had to buy 12 of them. The CFL, on the other hand, has over 1,000 hours left.
Energy used	657 kWh	219 kWh
Energy costs (.10/kWh)	$65.70	$21.90	Oh, to have this electricity rate! Very few places in the U.S. are so lucky. (Check your bill to compare your rate.)
Energy costs (.20/kWH)	$131.40	$43.80	Here's a more realistic energy rate.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution	880 lbs	293 lbs	These calculations use the national average of 1.34 pounds CO2 per kWh. State averages vary widely [PDF], from 0.03 (Vermont) to 2.24 (North Dakota).
Total savings from the CFL: $48-$91.80 and 587 lbs of CO2

What to look for in energy-saving bulbs

To replace a 75-watt bulb look for a CFL with these specs:

• 20 to 25 watts. CFLs use roughly a quarter of the energy to produce the same light.
• 1200 lumens. This minimum level of brightness provides what you're used to.
• Warm white (or 2700-2850 degrees Kelvin). This color temperature mimics an incandescent light.
• Energy Star symbol. This label indicates high-standards and ensures that the CFLs' claims (brightness, longevity, power used, etc.) are real.
• Get more CFL tips

Time to switch to CFLs and save

Bottom line: CFLs save you money and cut heat-trapping pollution. How much of each depends on things like your electricity rate, the energy mix your utility uses, and which CFLs you buy. (See our chart for info on other bulbs.)

Check out the Environmental Defense CFL guide to get started and see which CFLs are right for your needs. And then turn on your new Mac, crank up the Ramones, and dim your new dimmable CFL.

That something was CFL light bulbs. He began with his school PTO, with the idea of giving students CFL bulbs, which use 66% less energy than regular incandescents. His students became involved. They wrote to Oprah. They talked to retailers. They held a press conference. The community became involved. Mr. Luna's Bright Idea was born. "We realize that we need to do something about global warming. Unfortunately, a lot of people think, for some reason, that it's not going to affect our kids," Luna said, "I think they think it's going to affect kids five thousand years from now, and unfortunately, that's not the case."

Home Depot eventually donated one CFL to every kid in his district, North Babylon, and Luna and his crew had a community Lighting Ceremony, complete with live band, magician, and refreshments, to hand out the bulbs. "That night alone, we probably gave out over 2,000 light bulbs," Luna said. "That's a lot of light bulbs."

Mr. Luna's Bright Idea is expanding. Districts across the country have contacted Luna about bringing the Bright Idea to their schools. Although details are not finalized, Luna has been in talks with a number of high-volume retailers, working on a a way to make this happen as early as next fall. He's starting a non-profit, Mr. Luna's Bright Idea LTD, that will work with kids and the environment, which already has an impressive group of people expressing interest in its board of directors, namely Treehugger.com founder Graham Hill, Princeton scientist Michael Oppenheimer, teacher and president-elect of the California Science Teachers Association Susan Pritchard, Brown University scientist Steven Hamburg, and Janet Myerson, a school board member with extensive experience with the New York State PTA. The non-profit will give grants to schools and teachers to implement their own light bulb programs and scholarships to students going into environmentally-focused fields. And although Luna knows that giving away 53 millions bulbs may be unrealistic, that's not stopping him from coming as close as he can. All this, from one teacher working one light bulb at a time.