Winter winds blow, lights burn morning and night and the furnace keeps droning on. Each energy bill that arrives at the door seems to be higher than the last.
What can be done?
One place to start is by examining the appliances you buy and use. These days, the latest – and arguably some of the most handsome – appliances on the market frequently bear the government’s Energy Star emblem, signifying that the appliance exceeds government energy efficiency standards by at least 10%.
The Energy Star rating system was created in 1996 through a partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It was developed to enable consumers to easily identify products that save energy and, therefore, money.
The Energy Star label identifies highly efficient products and designates superior energy performance. The label can be found on more than 35 product categories for the home and office.
Energy prices are a concern for many budget-crunched consumers these days. According to U.S. government figures, the typical American household spends about $1,400 per year on energy bills, including heating and cooling. Using Energy Star-rated appliances in some cases can reduce energy costs up to 30%.
Sara Van de Grift, program manager for Wisconsin Focus on Energy, says the biggest benefit of the Energy Star program is that it allows consumers to easily identify the most efficient products in an appliance category.
“If an appliance carries the Energy Star label, you know it will help save money on your utility bills,” she says. “And the savings can be substantial. In a clothes washer, for example you can save as much as $100 the first year alone.”
Environmental effects
Reducing energy consumption, of course, also helps preserve the natural environment.
“In one year, doing eight loads per week, an Energy Star-rated washing machine can save 6,965 gallons of water, which is more than the average person drinks in a lifetime,” she says.
Focus on Energy is a public-private partnership offering energy information and services for utility customers in Wisconsin.
According to the Midwest Global Warming Leadership Council, an environmental advocacy organization based in Chicago, the typical American household could reduce its electricity consumption – and bill – by 40% simply by replacing existing lighting and appliances with efficient Energy Star models.
“Such enormous efficiency gains can go a long way toward helping the U.S. reduce global warming gases,” according to the council’s Web site.
Energy Star-rated appliances are required to provide equal or improved performance to that of similar models while using less energy.
“We definitely have looked at energy efficiency as being an important factor in our product,” says Tony Evans, vice president of communications for Electrolux, the parent company of Frigidaire Appliances. “We consider energy efficiency in the basic design of a product.”
Product development
Leslie Redford, company spokesperson for General Electric appliances, agrees. GE sells products under the Monogram, Profile, GE, Hotpoint and SmartWater brands.
“When we’re developing products, we find in our research that people want two things: performance and style. They want a great-looking and a great-performing product.” And performance at least in part means energy efficiency.
“Consumers want products that look good,” Redford says. “The kitchen is now a room where you bring your friend right in. Appliances need to look great, but they obviously have a job to do, too.”
As for cost, it’s true that Energy Star-rated appliances sometimes are more expensive than their less-efficient counterparts. That’s true for washers.
“But the energy savings can be substantial right from the beginning,” Van de Grift of Focus on Energy says. “In the first year alone, you can save $100 in energy costs over the old washer, and the increased appliance cost often can be recovered in just a few years.”
In some categories, there is little or no price difference.
“In refrigerator and dishwashers categories, you don’t necessarily have to pay more for an Energy Star appliance. Often the prices are comparable or even less,” she says. “You still have to shop carefully, but the Energy Star label makes things easier.”
Dishwashing developments
According to Evans, virtually all of Frigidaire’s dishwashers (and many other Frigidaire appliances) meet or exceed the Energy Star standards.
Frigidaire has adopted a European washing system in which the two major wash arms (the spinning mechanism at the bottom and in the middle of a dishwasher) run alternately instead of simultaneously, Evans said. This uses less water, thereby cutting the amount of water that has to be heated.
The new dishwashers have made no sacrifice in style, either. Frigidaire’s redesigned dishwasher has a one-piece front that flows from the floor up for a contemporary look. The one-piece front also contains the heat better and contributes to a quieter wash.
General Electric has removed the bottom panel on its newer dishwashers, too. One of its dishwashers, the Energy Star-rated GE Profile, has another stylish new feature: a hidden control panel. The buttons and dials are seen only when the door is open.
Cleaner clothes
Front-loading wash machines are typically much more energy-efficient than their top-loading counterparts. Frigidaire’s Evans explains that with a conventional clothes washer, clothes are put into a tub that is filled with water and then the clothes get jiggled around in the water.
“In a front-loading machine, there is less water at the bottom of the drum, and the clothes tumble through the water with a more vigorous action. The result is that the front-loading machines actually do a better job washing the clothes while consuming less water,” Evans says.
Evans said that front-loaders use 40% less water, translating to about 15 fewer gallons per load.
For instance, the GE Harmony Clothes Care System, which retails for about $2,000 for the washer/dryer pair, uses 40% less water and 47% less energy than a typical top-loading machine.
Maytag’s Neptune washing machine saves nearly 40% of the water and 65% of the energy than conventional washers, according to the Midwest Global Warming Leadership Council Web site. And Whirlpool’s front-loading Duet uses 68% less water and 67% less electricity than standard machines.
Redford says, however, that many Americans prefer top-loading machines and that some traditional top-loading appliances still qualify for the Energy Star rating.
The big chill
Refrigerators get the same scrutiny to determine whether they qualify for an Energy Star rating.
Frigidaire was among the first in the industry to see a growth market with stainless steel appliances, taking the stainless look beyond professional application and bringing it to the home market, Evans says.
In white, black, bisque or stainless steel, GE’s Artica refrigerator is Energy Star rated and comes with enough bells and whistles to keep the most gadget-loving family member happy.
Got meat to thaw? Pop it in the special compartment called “Express Thaw” and tell the refrigerator it’s there (via the controls), and your meat will be thawed in a couple of hours. Wine or soda to chill? Into the “Express Chill” and it’s ready in 15 minutes.
Additionally, the temperature of the fridge’s interior can be controlled to exact degrees and not the traditional 1 through 5. A “Turbo Cool” feature will pump up the fridge temporarily to cool down that hot plate of leftovers quickly.
On the most affordable end of the Energy Star-rated product scale, many folks have already made the discovery that fluorescent lighting doesn’t automatically denote ugly tubes hanging in long rows of rectangular fixtures, nor do fluorescent bulbs have to cast that strange other-worldly, unflattering bluish light.
Many new bulbs offer a five-year life guarantee (6,000 hours) and energy savings over standard incandescent light bulbs.
A new day
Consumers seem to be welcoming the energy savings now widely available from most appliance manufacturers, as well as the good looks that still go with the more efficient products.
When shopping, look for the energy ratings that come with each appliance. The Energy Star rating will be clearly marked, and each year more products meet the Energy Star standard.
The energy savings could help offset the purchase price.
The U.S. government, for example, reports simply replacing a refrigerator bought in 1990 with a new Energy Star-qualified model would save enough energy to light the average household for more than 41/2 months.
For more on the Energy Star program and other energy-saving tips, check www.energystar.gov.
From jsonline.com