If you have a heat pump, dramatically turning up the heat by hand is costly because it may trigger the inefficient backup heater, which is most often electric, eating up any savings from reducing the thermostat. For each degree you lower your thermostat in winter, you can save about 3 percent on your heating bill. They have become smaller, cheaper, brighter, and offer improved color quality. Your investment will generally pay for itself in a couple of years. You'll go through six incandescent bulbs during this period, while the compact fluorescent will still have another 3.8 years of life left.
Sunlight is brighter than a multitude of light bulbs, and it's free.
Instead of leaving lights on, put timers on a few of the lights in your home, or install motion detectors on exterior flood lights to improve your home security. Halogen torchiere lamps have grown in popularity. Although relatively inexpensive to purchase, they are expensive to operate and very inefficient. Consider a safe Energy Star torchiere. The kitchen uses a big chunk of your home energy budget.