The new issue is here! Energy savings and new ratings

It's not that Americans aren't trying to be more energy efficient. In Consumer Reports' recent survey of 1,536 U.S. homeowners we found that 81 percent bought energy-efficient lightbulbs, 44 percent had purchased an Energy Star appliance and 43 percent caulked their windows and doors, among other good deeds. Why did they do this? To lower their energy costs, reduce the impact on the environment or to take advantage of a rebate or credit.

We also learned from experts and consumers that being energy efficient is harder than it should be. Though the Energy Star program has saved people billions in utility bills, it should and could deliver even greater savings, as our lab tests continue to show. And government rebate programs, designed to encourage energy-efficient choices, are too complicated and confusing for many consumers. In the October issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands today, we outline things the government can do to help consumers and things you can do to help yourself. We also have new Ratings of lightbulbs and space heaters and a report on water heaters.

Lightbulbs
The compact fluorescent bulbs in our labs have been cycling on and off since early 2009, or 6,000 hours. For comparison, a typical incandescent bulb lasts only around 1,000 hours. Even after all that time, brightness and warm-up times remained virtually the same as after 3,000 hours of testing. Our results were confirmed by an outside lab. See our new Ratings (for subscribers) of spiral, indoor flood/ reflector, outdoor flood/ reflector and porch/ post covered bulbs.

We're also keeping our eye on the latest generation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which claim to rival the look, dimming ability, and light quality of incandescents; contain no mercury (as CFLs do); and last up to five times longer than CFLs and 50 times longer than incandescents.

Space heaters
Practically any heater can help make a chilly room more inviting. Our latest tests show that the best do that more consistently, conveniently, and safely than ever for as little as $60—not the hundreds you can spend on a fancy infomercial model. We focused on electric heaters, the best-selling type by far. There are 13 models in our Ratings and we recommend five of them. If you're considering a space heater, remember that portable space heaters cause an estimated 21,650 home fires and 1,512 fire-related injuries and deaths each year so you should follow these safety precautions.

Water heaters
As recently as last year, replacing a broken water heater meant paying a few hundred dollars for a relatively inefficient storage-tank unit or spending thousands to eke out energy savings with a solar or tankless system. But smarter new heaters are changing that. Three we tested saved enough energy to pay for their roughly $2,000 cost in about five to seven years rather than decades. Known as hybrids, they have a conventional electric storage heater paired with a heat pump that extracts heat from the air and uses it to help heat the water. Check out the payback time for hybrid, solar and tankless water heaters. You can also save with the right conventional water heater.