Most appliances look very comparable on the face of it but they can vary significantly when it comes to energy saving and therefore operating expenditure.
In this article you can understand everything you need to know about energy conserving household appliances. Discover what energy efficient appliances are, how they work, the benefits of paying that little bit extra and whether they are right for you and your home. For questions concerning energy-efficient appliances and other home appliances, contact Nifty Nashville Appliance Repair.
What is an Energy Efficient Home Appliance?
In simple terms energy efficiency is making use of lower energy to provide the same function. For example, replacing an incandescent bulb with an energy efficient LED bulb that produces the same amount of light or insulating your roof so you need less heating.
Energy efficiency is linked to but not the same as energy conservation which requires using less energy by adjusting behaviours or habits. For example, opting to walk when you might normally have used the car or only putting on the dishwasher when you have a full load.
Electricity saving household appliances are engineered to offer equivalent results in a more efficient way allowing you to save energy. Reduced energy usage result in lower utility bills and fewer environmental impacts.
Many household appliances available in the USA are ENERGY STAR rated, meaning they offer use less electricity than lower rated models, normally ranging from 10-50%. Most household appliances will also have EnergyGuide labels which lay out how efficient they are when looked at next to other similar devices.
These simple labels can be a great first point of call when determining if an appliance is low energy or not.
Types of Electricity Efficient Devices
Some examples of electricity efficient appliances include:
- Fridge-Freezers
- Dehumidifiers
- Water Heaters
- Washers
- Tumble Dryers
How Electricity Efficient Household Appliances work
Energy efficient appliances work by utilizing the best current techniques to make sure they waste as little electric as possible. That might look like more advanced insulation in freezers, filters in dishwashers, or moisture sensors in clothes dryers to minimize drying time.
Reasons to Switch to Electricity Efficient Devices
Using energy efficient devices makes sense for many reasons:
- Saving energy. The more efficient an appliance is the less energy it needs . Meaning you can gain a sizable reduction in energy consumption without losing any productivity.
- Saving money. Although lower energy devices might have a more expensive initial cost they will inevitably save you money in the long run by cutting your electricity bills.
- Environmental advantages. Most of the energy we need for our daily lives comes from oil and gas and results in greenhouse gas emissions. Lessening our abuse of natural resources also keeps them for future use in a more sustainable way.
- Resource Security. With fuel costs continually rising and natural resources continually being used up choosing less energy intensive appliances will allow our demands to be met for longer.
Do Energy Efficient Household Appliances Genuinely Reduce Bills?
Electricity efficient appliances save you money by reducing your energy usage and by association your electricity bills.
How much you save and whether or not you notice a noticeable difference in your monthly bills will depend on the relative efficiency of the previous and future appliances, the intensity of use and how long the product lasts.
The older the good you are upgrading is the bigger the difference you are likely to see. Likewise the more energy it needs to run the greater the possible savings. For example replacing an broken, wasteful, overcapacity air conditioner with a replacement ENERGY STAR rated one that is the exact size for your home, will make a noticeable impact whereas replacing your dishwasher with one that is just 10% less energy intensive is likely to have a much smaller impact.
Reports suggest that if your fridge was made in the 1990’s you could gain up to $270 in five years, but if it was produced in within the last decade the savings will be much less.
You also have to ensure you make use of your appliances energy-efficient functions to get the greatest savings. For example, manual defrost is more energy-efficient than auto defrost, but only if you remember to keep defrosting.
When contrasting new appliances factoring in both the upfront price and the running costs will make sure you make the prime decision for you.
How Low Energy Household Appliances Help the Planet
Energy efficiency isn’t all about reducing your bills. Cutting energy usage also has an environmental impact.
Human actions have massive impacts on the natural world, one of the most obvious of which is the release of greenhouse gasses into the environment through the use of oil and gas that appear to be linked to air quality decline and global warming.
As the general population become more aware of the environmental cost of our daily decisions the market is replying with less wasteful solutions to our needs. Whether that is cheaper solar panels or in this case low energy washing machines.
What are ENERGY STAR marked Household Appliances?
The ENERGY STAR certification was created in 1992 to provide an easily recognizable way for buyers to choose more efficient appliances.
Rated appliances must meet both energy performance and consumer requirements in regards to performance and attributes.
The conditions for the ENERGY STAR rating are different for different types of goods. In order to gain the star mark, appliances must be a minimum percentage more efficient than the base product in their grouping.
However, not all ENERGY STAR rated goods are the same in terms of efficiency. I.e a washing machine that uses 10% less energy and one that uses 20% less energy could get the symbol. Therefore although only looking at products with the symbol is a good place to start, it is still worth looking into the actual figures before making your final choice.
Is an Energy Efficient Appliance Right for Your Home?
Electricity saving appliances really do make a impression at a local and international level, meaning more money in your pocket and conserving both energy and resources.
If you are in the market for a new appliance have a look at the EnergyGuide label. This indicates the amount of energy an appliance gets through and makes it simpler to compare makes and designs.
You’ll also want to know how much you spend on your energy so you can make better comparisons.
Size matters when it comes to appliances. For example:
- Having one bigger fridge is more efficient than running two small ones. Unless you only need the spare one during the holidays
- When purchasing a replacement washing machine consider the amount of washing you tend to do as running a space saving machine two times is less efficient than using a higher capacity machine for a single run.
- Even the best water heater will never reduce your bills if it’s two times the spec you need for your home.
Household appliances use more energy as they deteriorate so replace items that are past their best first and if you can, focus on the appliances that use the most energy.