Introduction
Benefits
Equipment & Services

1. Introduction

The cost of using appliances and heating and cooling equipment averages more than $1,200 per year. You can sharply reduce your energy bill by using high-efficiency appliances and space conditioning equipment. While these may be more expensive to buy than comparable models with lower or average efficiency, your reduced energy bills will put that money back into your pocket long before the product wears out.

2. Benefits

Energy Savings
According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), replacing a 20-year-old refrigerator with a new, energy-efficient model, annually will save about 800 kWh, reduce your home's CO2 contribution by about one ton—all while saving about $65 through reduced electric bills. The ACEEE’s website offers the most energy-efficient residential appliances available. Only the highest-rated models are listed within each appliance category, making up fewer than 5 percent of all the different models currently available. There are many appliances not listed on their website that are above average in efficiency, but this list is a good place to start. 

Increased Home Value
Having updated, efficient appliances like dishwashers and built-in microwaves are a key selling-point. As energy costs rise, this return on investment grows.

Conservation
More and more electricity in the U.S. is generated by burning natural gas, but the U.S. has only about 3% of the world’s gas reserves.

3. Equipment & Services

Refrigerators. ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators require about half as much energy as models manufactured before 1993. These refrigerator models use high efficiency compressors, improved insulation, and more precise temperature and defrost mechanisms to improve energy efficiency. Refrigerators must use at least 15 percent less energy than required by current federal standards and 40 percent less energy than the conventional models sold in 2001.

Freezers. ENERGY STAR qualified freezer models use at least 10 percent less energy than required by current federal standards. Qualified freezer models are available in three configurations:

• Upright freezers with automatic defrost
• Upright freezers with manual defrost
• Chest freezers (only available with manual defrost)

ENERGY STAR compact refrigerators and freezers use at least 20 percent less energy than required by current federal standards. Compacts are models with volumes less than 7.75 cubic feet. You can reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator or freezer uses, whether with a standard or an ENERGY STAR qualified model:

• Position your refrigerator away from a heat source such as an oven, a dishwasher, or direct sunlight from a window.
• To allow air to circulate around the condenser coils, leave a space between the wall or cabinets and the refrigerator or freezer and keep the coils clean.
• Make sure the door seals are airtight.
• Keep your refrigerator between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Minimize the amount of time the refrigerator door is open.
• Recycle older or second refrigerators, rather than reselling them or putting them in the garage.

Dishwashers. ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers use 25% less energy than the federal minimum standard for energy consumption, and use much less water.

• Run your dishwasher with a full load. Most of the energy used by a dishwasher goes to heat water. Since you can't decrease the amount of water used per cycle, fill your dishwasher to get the most from the energy used to run it.
• Avoid using the heat-dry, rinse-hold and pre-rinse features. Instead use your dishwasher's air-dry option. If your dishwasher does not have an air-dry option, prop the door open after the final rinse to dry the dishes.

Room Air Conditioners. ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioners use at least 10% less energy than conventional models. Many people buy an air conditioner that is too large. ENERGY STAR suggests making sure your unit is properly sized.

Clothes Washers. Compared to a model manufactured before 1994, an ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer can save up to $110 per year on your utility bills. Clothes washers must use 50 percent less energy than standard washers. The Modified Energy Factor (MEF) measures the energy used during the washing process, including machine energy, water heating energy, and dryer energy. The higher the MEF, the more efficient the clothes washer is. You can download a list of qualified equipment from the ENERGY STAR website.

Clothes Dryers. ENERGY STAR does not label clothes dryers because most dryers use similar amounts of energy, which means there is little difference in the energy use between models. To reduce the amount of energy your clothes dryer uses:

• Use the moisture sensor option on your dryer, which automatically shuts off the machine when the clothes are dry.
• If your clothes washer has spin options, choose a high spin speed or extended spin option to reduce the amount of remaining moisture, thus starting the drying process before you put your clothes in the dryer.
• Air dry clothes whenever possible.
  

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