Massachusetts is hoping to save some green by going green this year. State officials recently announced an energy efficiency plan - including a sweeping switch to energy-saving light bulbs - that will decrease electricity use by 2.4 percent within the next three years.

The goals are part of the state's Green Communities Act, and the state will have some help from the U.S. government to achieve them. Massachusetts will get $1.6 billion from a national incentive program that rewards reduced energy consumption, reports the New York Times.

The provisions of the plan vary, but the energy savings revolve heavily around swapping both residential and commercial lighting from incandescent light bulbs to the eco-efficient LED and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Residents will receive rebates for purchasing energy-efficient light bulbs and other green appliances. This consumer outreach will demonstrate the biggest investment on the state's part in energy conservation.

"The Green Communities Act established energy efficiency as the Commonwealth's 'first fuel' - what we look to first to power our homes and our economy," said Ian A. Bowles, the state's secretary for energy and environmental affairs.

Other states might want to follow suit and offer locals incentives to switch their lighting in preparation for the upcoming ban on incandescent light bulbs.