Across America, energy efficient products are gaining in popularity and use. Home builders are increasingly using Energy Star qualified appliances and materials and offering green homes for sale, and homeowners are replacing older products with energy conscious goods that save money and decrease electricity use. The trend to “get green” has helped influence a new era of home building and has reduced our nation’s carbon footprint.
We see the Energy Star label and know that products with the label save water, energy and money, but do we know how much of each we save? Below is information about the energy, water and money some of these products save each year. Learn which products make the biggest difference.
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
A compact fluorescent light bulb that is Energy Star qualified lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb and will save about $30 over its lifetime. The bulb uses about 75% less energy and will typically pay for itself within 6-months.
Fact: If every home in America replaced one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star qualified light bulb, it would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars and save more than $600 million in annual energy costs.
Washer
An Energy Star qualified washer uses a third of the energy and a half of the water used by a traditional clothes washer. Replace your 10 year-old washer with an Energy Star qualified washer and you could save over $135 annually on your utility bills.
Fact: You could fill three backyard swimming pools with the amount of water you save over the life of an Energy Star qualified washer.
Refrigerator
A fridge built pre 1993 costs about $100 more each year to operate. An Energy Star qualified fridge can cut that amount in half.
Fact: Most Energy Star qualified refrigerators use recent innovations in designs and temperature controls to keep food fresh longer.
Dishwashers
An Energy Star qualified dishwasher uses 33% less water than most non-qualified washers and 31% less energy than older models.
Fact: A pre 1994 dishwasher wastes roughly 8 gallons of water per cycle when compared with a new Energy Star qualified dishwasher.
Televisions
An Energy Star qualified television uses about 30% less energy than a standard television. Energy Star Qualified televisions save energy when their being used and when their in standby mode.
Fact: Televisions in the United States account for 4% of all household electricity use. This is enough electricity to power every home in the state of New York for an entire year – Energy Star televisions can save 30% of that electricity.
Water Heaters
An Energy Star qualified heat pump water heater can save an average American household as much as $300 on their annual energy bill. If your household has 6 people in it, you could save as much as $670 annually.
Fact: If everyone bought an Energy Star Qualified heat pump this year instead of a standard electric water heater, we would reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 19.6 billion pounds.
Programmable Thermostats
An Energy Star qualified programmable thermostat that is properly programmed can save a home owner about $180/year. The thermostat automatically should adjust a home’s heating and cooling as needed according to your family’s schedule; it saves energy without sacrificing comfort.
Fact: Adjusting temperatures 5-8 degrees can help save energy if you’re going to be away from a home for several hours.
The information for this post was gathered from www.energystar.gov and is considered accurate and reliable.
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Great information! It will be helpful during the upcoming “Cash for Appliances”. Will pass the energystar.gov website to clients and friends.
Bruce Dietz´s last blog ..Awesome 4 BR 3BA All Brick Rancher in Columbia County
Great write up. I’m all about saving energy AND water. I just heard about Pennington’s Smart Seed. It is a grass seed that needs less water. I’ve heard great things about it, and will try it out soon. If any homeowner read uses it, please let me know!
Yeah definitely,saving energy is important good thing it is being implemented.
Fantastic info! “Green Living” is huge!
Great post. In addition to energy star appliances, there are other options for saving on energy usage, like roof insulation.
I just replaced my old washing machine and was looking for an energy efficient alternative. After a bit of research I came across these washer dryer combos and finally decided to get the LG WM3988HWA all-in-one combo. Well, if I had read about the upcoming “cash for appliances” program before I could have saved some bucks
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George K´s last blog ..Cash for Appliances Rebate Program
Good info. Kitchens and baths are typically great places to start when trying to implement “green living” into your existing home. We installed a tankless hot water heater in our home and LOVE it! It supplies an endless stream of hot water when we need it and does not cost us a thing when we aren’t using it. It is 96% efficient and has been a great addition to our home.