Halogen torchieres are a popular lighting choice in many Canadian homes and should be use with caution. About 96 percent of the energy consumed by a halogen lamp turns into heat rather than light. If these fixtures are placed too close to combustible materials like curtains, or if they are tipped over on carpeted floors, their high temperature can result in fires, household damage and even death.

A safer alternative is the compact fluorescent torchiere, or compact fluorescent torchieres. A typical model uses a 55-watt compact fluorescent lamp to produce the same amount of light as a 300-watt halogen lamp. Compact fluorescent torchieres not only produce a minimal amount of heat, they use less than a quarter of the electricity of a comparable halogen fixture. In fact, selecting a compact fluorescent torchiere over a standard halogen torchiere will save you about $36 a year in electricity costs (assuming four hours of operation a day and an electricity cost of $0.10 per kilowatt-hour).

Compact fluorescent torchieres tend to be more expensive to purchase than halogen fixtures, but the extra cost is quickly recovered through energy savings. As well, compact fluorescent lamps last about five times longer than halogen lamps, so ongoing replacement costs are significantly lower. When purchasing compact fluorescent lamps, look for the ENERGY STAR symbol to ensure that you are getting a high-quality, energy-efficient product.

Compact fluorescent torchieres will not only save you money and make your home safer, they reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change. If every household in Canada changed just one standard incandescent light bulb to an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent lamp, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 397 000 tonnes – the equivalent of taking 66 000 cars off the road for one year.

For more information on energy-efficient lighting and other ENERGY STAR qualified products, call Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency toll-free at 1 800 387-2000 or visit energystar.gc.ca. Or write to Energy Publications, Office of Energy Efficiency, c/o S.J.D.S., Gatineau, Quebec J9J 3N7.