Hail the New Halogena Light Bulb

Love saving energy, but hate fluorescent light? Join the club. Millions of us miss the wonderful warmth of old-fashioned, Edison-style light bulbs. But to do right by the environment (and our pocketbooks), we've made the switch to compact fluorescents.

Now, though, it seems that the good folks at Philips Lighting are offering a choice that combines the best of both worlds. A new product, called the Haolgena Energy Saver bulb, is the first incandescent bulb to meet America's new energy standards.

So far, the new incandescents don't match up to the fluorescents in terms of energy savings or price. Compact fluorescents use 75 percent less energy than old-fashioned light bulbs, while the new incandescents use a mere 30 percent less. The price tag for a compact fluorescent is about $2.50, while Philips' innovation costs $5 per bulb.

Still, the idea that it's possible to combine the warm light of an incandescent with the energy savings of a fluorescent is compelling. As a result, research is ongoing, both in academic labs and in the corporate sector. And the results are promising: already new ideas are emerging to both brighten and cheapen the "green" incandescent light bulb.