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Benefits of Energy Efficiency Appliances
You can save not only energy but also money by purchasing energy efficient appliances and electronics for your home, and limiting their use.
Choose Energy Star certified appliances when buying a new appliance. Energy Star products typically pass minimal government standards by a significant margin. All qualifying products that satisfy particular energy efficiency standards bear the Energy Star emblem.
Refrigerators
Whether you enjoy spending time in the kitchen or prefer to leave the cooking to someone else, an energy efficient refrigerator can help make your kitchen a more environmentally friendly space. Because of inadequate cooling and lighting systems, older refrigerators can be expensive energy hogs.
According to Energy Star, refrigerators over ten years old cost homeowners about $5 billion in utility expenses. Replace your old refrigerator and you might save hundreds of dollars in energy bills over the life of the equipment.
New Energy Star-certified refrigerator models are available in a variety of sizes and have a plethora of features that will pique your interest. Choose a type with a freezer on the top or bottom, crisper drawers to keep vegetables fresher for longer, ice on demand, and separate spaces to store cans and beverage bottles.
Whatever fits your budget and kitchen, Energy Star-certified refrigerators are at least 9% more efficient than those that only satisfy the minimum energy efficiency applaince standards.
Dishwashers
Dishwashers may appear to last forever, but if yours is more than 20 years old, you're squandering money on electricity. Newer models with Energy Star certification can help save you up to $35 on utility expenditures per year.
But that's not all. Dishwashers manufactured more than 2 decades ago waste 10 gallons of water per cycle. If you do a single load of dishes per day, you'll waste roughly 3,500 gallons of water in a year.
In addition to saving energy and water, new Energy Star-certified dishwashers include cutting-edge technology.
Tired of having to hand-wash your dishes before placing them in the dishwasher? Look for a new model that has soil sensors that detect how dirty your dishes are and adjust the cleaning power accordingly. You don't want soap scum on your clean dishes. For sparkling dishes, look for a dishwasher with sophisticated filtration.
Clothes Washers
Clothes washers like dishwashers waste a lot of electricity and water if they use old technology. In fact, if your washer is more than a decade old, you're wasting around $180 each year on wasted water and electricity.
Clothes washers bearing the Electricity Star badge use 40% less water and 25% less energy than ordinary washers. These percentages equate to an annual savings of approximately $40 in electricity bills and over 3,000 gallons of water.
Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans can be lifesavers in a warm-weather area. While they do not reduce the temperature of a room, they do generate a wind chill effect to make the room feel cooler.
Though ceiling fans cannot completely replace air conditioning, they can reduce your demand for energy-intensive cooling. When you utilize a ceiling fan, you can normally reduce your thermostat by 40 while remaining cool and comfortable.
Remember to install one in each room where your family spends the most time. Larger is better since larger fans with larger blades can move more air. Look for Energy Star-certified units to get a 20% efficiency gain over ordinary models.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps can both cool and heat your home in the summer and winter. They're well-known for their capacity to remove excess humidity from the air, making them more efficient than air conditioners throughout the summer. In the winter, heat pumps can reduce your electricity use by up to 50% when compared to furnaces and other traditional heating systems.
We recommend taking energy efficiency to the next level with an Energy Star-certified heat pump that has a SEER rating of up to 20.5 and a heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) value of up to 13.0. Ideally, find a model that uses variable speed technology, and runs at a low level for the majority of the day and shifts into high gear only when necessary.
Smart Thermostats
Without a smart thermostat, even the most energy-efficient heat pump, furnace, or air conditioner will not help you lower your energy use effectively. These useful devices allow you to tune your HVAC system to just heat or cool when needed.
By lowering your thermostat by 10 degrees for eight hours a day, you can save up to 10% on your annual heating and cooling bills. You may save a large amount of energy and more than $100 per year by turning the device off when you sleep or when everyone is away throughout the day.
For optimal energy savings, there are modern models, such as the Carrier Infinity Touch smart thermostat, that operate in tandem with the Infinity 20 heat pump. You can even control the temperature or receive filter replacement reminders while on the move if you download the smart thermostat's app to your smartphone.
The Nest thermostat is much smarter because it learns your family's heating and cooling preferences. Because this device is compatible with a wide range of heating and cooling systems, reducing energy can be as simple as replacing your old thermostat with a Nest.
Whole-Home Dehumidifiers
You may be no stranger to humidity, especially during the summer. But what you may not realize is that excessive humidity is more than just unpleasant. It can likewise waste energy in your cooling and heating system.
Heat pumps can help with excess moisture, but we understand that there are instances when a more targeted device is required. A whole-house dehumidifier works in tandem with your HVAC system to remove excess humidity from the air while also improving overall system efficiency. This means your home will be more pleasant without requiring your cooling system to work overtime.
Air Purifiers
Keeping the interior air clean is difficult due to factors such as dust, pet dander, and cigarette smoke. You don't have to use energy-intensive air cleaners if your family suffers from allergies, asthma, or contaminated indoor air.
Consider installing a whole-house air purifier instead. A whole-home air purifier, like a dehumidifier, works with your HVAC system to remove pollutants from the air such as pollen, mold, dust mites, and even pathogens.
There are models that eliminate up to 95 percent of pathogens from your home's air supply, ensuring exceptional indoor air quality while consuming little energy. These effective devices can even eliminate dangerous viruses on contact, allowing you to stay healthy all year.
Conclusion
If you're serious about saving money on energy efficient applainces, this online course is the place to start. Not only will you save a ton of money in utility bills, you'll add value to your house as well as being kinder to the environment.
