Lesli Boldt gave herself a green, money saving challenge. She signed up for the BC Hydro Power Smart challenge to see how much she could reduce her electricity consumption. A big step was changing many of her light bulbs to compact fluorescents. You wouldn't think it would make much of a difference on a small apartment but it does.

"Because I'm a member of the Power Smart Team, I reduced my energy consumption by 17 per cent last year, and I received a $75 cheque last year," Boldt said.

And she saves $5 a month on her Hydro bill. Lesli has noticed the quality of CFL lighting has improved and they seem to light up faster, but they are not good in all situations.

Her dining room light is on a dimmer and it's a halogen.

There are dimmable CFL bulbs but they don't work as well as the old bulbs or Lesli's halogen.

To find the right bulb for the right light fixture, Oscar Ceron, the Power Smart residential lighting program manager for BC Hydro, advises people look for Energy Star labels and check the label to confirm the bulb's intended use.

Energy Star is important. Consumer Reports tested several IKEA CFL bulbs which were not Energy Star rated. Five of the 10 bulbs tested burned out before 3,000 hours while several Energy Star rated bulbs easily lasted that long.

And CFL bulbs are not your only option.

"We are seeing LED [bulbs] and some of the halogen based products that are entering the market right now," said Ceron.

The LED bulbs are expensive but CFL bulbs used to be too.

Consumer Reports says the GE Energy Smart is a very good spiral CFL and the GE Energy Smart flood light is a good choice for an indoor reflector.

As of New Year's Day, B.C. retailers can not bring any more 75 and 100 watt incandescent bulbs into the province. So when retailers sell out their stock, you'll have no choice but to switch. Lesli says she'd have done it anyway.

"[It's a] really easy way to reduce the amount of energy you use and save a little bit of money as well," she said.

Many viewers write to CTV News to complain about compact fluorescents wearing out prematurely. Checking the box label for the bulb's recommended use can help you know whether a particular CFL bulb is the right choice or if you need to look at other options.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen