Appliances account for about 20% of your
household's energy consumption with refrigerators,
clothes washers, and clothes dryers at the top of the
consumption list.
When you're shopping for appliances, think of two
price tags. The first one covers the
purchase
price—think of it as a down payment. The second price
tag is the cost of operating the appliance during its
lifetime. You'll be paying on that second price tag
every month with your utility bill for the next 10 to
20 years, depending on the appliance. Refrigerators
last an average of 13 years; room air conditioners and
dishwashers, about 11 years each; clothes washers,
about 9 years.
When you do have to shop for a new appliance, look
for the
ENERGY STAR label.
ENERGY STAR products usually exceed minimum
federal standards by a substantial amount. The
appliance shopping guide lists some of the major
appliances that carry the
ENERGY STAR label and provides helpful information
on what to look for when shopping for an appliance.
To help you figure out whether an appliance is
energy efficient, the federal government requires most
appliances to display the bright yellow and black
EnergyGuide label. Although these labels will not
tell you which appliance is the most efficient, they
will tell you the annual energy consumption and
operating cost for each appliance so you can compare
them yourself. The American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy lists the energy performance
of top-rated energy-saving appliances on its
Web site.
