Over 50 million torchiere-style halogen floor lamps are in homes, dormitory rooms, and offices throughout the country; many offices have 2 or 3 of these inexpensive and bright lamps. What many people don't know is that these lamps are very expensive to operate. You will spend many times the cost of the lamp for the electricity. With typical wattages of 300 to 500 watts per bulb, a halogen torchiere will cost you $28 to $46 per year in electricity if you use an average of 3 hours per day and pay the national average for electricity. If you use it 5 hours, that cost increases to $46 to $77! And that's just for one lamp! But, that's not the only problem. The bulb in your halogen torchiere can get as hot as 700 to 1,100° F. That's hot enough to burn cloth and other things. And that's just what has happened. There have been over 232 fires, 84 injuries, and 12 deaths attributed to halogen torchieres in this country. Halogen torchieres produced since 1988 are equipped with a metal cage intended to keep the bulb away from flammable items, but older ones still represent a fire hazard. And, newer ones still use a lot of electricity.

Compact Fluorescent Torchieres replace the halogen bulb with several compact fluorescent bulbs that generate much less heat and eliminate the fire hazard. Moreover, while these lamps cost more to purchase than a halogen torchiere, they save a significant amount of electricity.

For example, a typical compact fluorescent replacement for a 300-watt halogen will save $20 per year if used 3 hours per day on average, at average national electricity rates. That's enough in electricity to pay for the new lamp in 2 or 3 years, but since the compact fluorescent bulbs will last 4 to 5 times as long, there are additional savings as well. And remember, when it comes to safety, compact fluorescent torchieres are the lamps to choose.