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Out with the old, in with the new: this month, replace incandescent lightbulbs with energy-saving Energy Star bulbs.

Here’s your chance to take one small step that will help protect the environment, save energy and save money. The Change A Light, Change The World campaign encourages Americans to replace a conventional bulb or fixture in the home or workplace with a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb that has earned the government’s Energy Star label for energy efficiency.

If every American home changed just five of its most-used light fixtures to Energy Star bulbs, each family would save about $60 every year in energy costs �?and together we’d save about $6.5 billion each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 8 million cars.

Energy Star qualified bulbs and fixtures use one-third the energy of traditional models, last up to 10 times longer and reduce utility costs. In fact, consumers can save up to $30 in utility costs over the lifetime of one bulb. And the less energy we use, the less energy electric utilities must generate, and less demand means fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

These bulbs are readily available at home improvement stores, discount stores and many other retail outlets. And current bulbs are much brighter, easier on the eyes and less expensive than previous versions of the CFL.

The “Change a Light, Change the World�?campaign is an annual effort by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, and this year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development joined the campaign to extend its reach. It started in early October and runs through November.

Make your own commitment to change the world today! Just take the Energy Star Change a Light Pledge to replace any number of standard lightbulbs. You also can sign up to receive energy-saving tips quarterly from Energy Star. Individuals who pledged during last year’s campaign will prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to nearly 3,000 vehicles and save $2 million in energy costs. Learn more about Energy Star light bulbs and fixtures.