APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONICS General GENERAL Look for ENERGY STAR qualified products and appliances for your home. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. They use less energy, help prevent air pollution and reduce energy costs in your home. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=appliances.pr_appliances 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 20 years; room air conditioners and dishwashers, about 10 years each; clothes washers, about 14 years. 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 20 years; room air conditioners and dishwashers, about 10 years each; clothes washers, about 14 years. http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/appliances.html EERE Here you can find information to help you reduce these energy costs:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/appliances/index.cfm/mytopic=10020 REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS When purchasing a new refrigerator, seriously consider getting rid of your existing refrigerator rather than moving it to the basement or garage. By sending the older unit for recycling, you will reap all the savings from your new high-efficiency refrigerator. Refrigerators under 25 cubic feet should meet the needs of most households. The models over 25 cubic feet use significantly more energy. http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topfridge.htm 1. ENERGY STAR Refrigerators and freezers http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=refrig.pr_refrigerators CLOTHES WASHERS Horizontal-axis clothes washers save energy because they use less water. Most of the energy needed for clothes washing goes to heating the water. High-efficiency washers use up to 18 gallons less water per load and remove more moisture from the clothes with a high-speed spin cycle. As a result, energy costs can be reduced as much as 50 percent. In addition, manufacturers say high-efficiency machines get clothes cleaner and are gentler to fabrics. 1. ENERGY STAR Clothes Washers http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=clotheswash.pr_clothes_washers CLOTHES DRYERS DISHWASHERS All of the models listed ( http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topdish.htm) exceed the ENERGY STAR requirements and are at least 45% more efficient than the federal minimum standard. Many of the newer models also use significantly less water—as much as one-half less—than hand washing. Many of the dishwashers on the market today incorporate soil-sensors to adjust water use depending on how dirty the dishes are in each load washed. A new test procedure has been adopted to better estimate the energy consumption of soil-sensing dishwasher models. As a result, the data presented at this site and on updated EnergyGuide labels allows for more accurate comparisons among models. Recent studies demonstrate that most new dishwashers do a great job cleaning even the dirtiest dishes without pre-rinsing. So skip the unnecessary step of pre-rinsing—you'll save money along with precious water, energy, and time. 1. ENERGY STAR Dishwashers http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=dishwash.pr_dishwashers DEHUMIDIFIERS
In addition to energy performance, there are many other important operating and convenience features to consider when shopping for dehumidifiers Other Ways to Reduce Home Humidity http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=dehumid.pr_humidity_dehumidifiers Reducing sources of moisture can reduce your need for dehumidification. Improving the drainage around the foundation of your home may result in decreased humidity in your basement. Some ways to improve drainage are:
Ensure that clothes dryers are properly vented to the outdoors. If you do not use a clothes dryer, dry your clothes outdoors as opposed to hanging them inside for drying. Use vent fans (ENERGY STAR qualified ventilation fans use 65% less energy, on average, than standard models) in bathrooms and kitchens to remove humidity at the source. Repair leaking outdoor faucets . Not only will this help reduce humidity, but it will also save you money on your water bills. If your home uses central air conditioning, consider installing an A/C vent in the humid space in your home and take advantage of the dehumidifying capabilities of your A/C system. This will also help with air circulation, improving airflow between humid parts of your home and drier parts. CEILING FANS
Ceiling Fan Performance: Components that Count OVENS AND RANGES Cooktops
1. The Rocky Mountain Institute has a Home Resource Efficiency site that includes nine Home Energy Briefs, Number 7 is on Electronics http://www.rmi.org/images/other/Energy/E04-17_HEB7Electronics.pdf. Home electronic products use energy when they're off to power features like clock displays and remote controls. Those that have earned the ENERGY STAR use as much as 50% less energy to perform these functions, while providing the same performance at the same price as less-efficient models. Less energy means you pay less on your energy bill. Simple actions can make a big difference. The average home has roughly 2 TVs, a VCR, a DVD player and 3 telephones. If these items were replaced with ENERGY STAR models, it would save over 20 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent to taking over 1.5 million cars off the road. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductCategory&pcw_code=HEF. See also Recycling Electronics
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Become a Green Congregation: Complete Manuals An introduction to
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