Compact fluorescent light bulbs can save tons of energy and cut your electric bill by significant percentage, but most Americans don’t really like them. Our father, an electrician, forced us to adopt these bulbs at an early age, so we’re used to them and even buy them ourselves now, but most Americans don’t have a miserly father to tell them what to do. Enter Walmart. Walmart? From the New York Times:

But now Wal-Mart Stores, the giant discount retailer, is determined to push them into at least 100 million homes. And its ambitions extend even further, spurred by a sweeping commitment from its chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., to reduce energy use across the country, a move that could also improve Wal-Mart’s appeal to the more affluent consumers the chain must win over to keep growing in the United States.

Lest we remind you, compact fluorescent bulbs “use 75 percent less electricity, last 10 times longer, produce 450 pounds fewer greenhouse gases from power plants and save consumers $30 over the life of each bulb.” If Walmart is successful, they’ll save Americans $3 billion in electricity costs and avoid the need to build additional power plants for the equivalent of 450,000 new homes. Yikes. —MEGHANN MARCO

Power-Sipping Bulbs Get Backing From Wal-Mart [New York Times]

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