Energy-Efficient Reading Lamps

During this season of limited daylight, a good, adjustable reading lamp--as well as good ambient lighting--is essential for seeing detail and preventing eye strain.

You can enhance the energy efficiency of most lamps you already own by replacing standard incandescent bulbs with Energy Star-rated compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use two-thirds less electricity and can last up to 10,000 hours. If you're ready to invest in a new lamp, however, consider a model designed to incorporate CFLs or the emerging light emitting diode (LED) technology.

Currently, the energy savings you get with LEDs and CFLs are about the same, says Scott Sawicki of LED-bulb manufacturer Nichia, but "you can get four times the amount of life out of an LED compared with a compact fluorescent bulb. Under ideal conditions, an LED can last 50,000 hours," he says.

CFLs offer six different variations on white light, says David Brooks of lighting retailer Just Bulbs, so it helps to know your lighting preferences. "On CFLs, color has to do with the Kelvin (K) temperature," he says. "Lower Kelvins correspond to a warmer, redder color; higher Kelvins, to a colder blue." Warmer colors are in the 2700- degree Kelvin range, he adds, while brighter, cooler colors are around 6500. Full-spectrum bulbs usually fall around 6700 Kelvins, he says, and "throughout the room, they give you the appearance of outdoor light." If you're still confused, "the undiscerning should choose a 3500-degree K bulb, right in the middle," he says. Kelvin temperature is usually printed on product packages.

Here are a few CFL- and LEDsuitable lamps to get you started:

Desk Lamps

Herman Miller's new Leaf Light is made from 37- percent recycled aluminum and steel. Using both cool-white and warm-white LED bulbs, users can control both the intensity and temperature of the light ($555; www.momastore.org, 800-447-6662).

Sylvania's Brilliance desk ($89.99) and Clamp-On ($59.99) lamps both utilize LEDs and run on five watts of electricity (store.sylvania.com).

The Original Deluxe desk lamp by Verilux simulates sunlight with a Verilux 27W bright-white CFL ($79.95; www.veriluxstore.com, 800-454-4408).