Energy efficient appliances

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As a society, we’ve come to expect convenience and comfort in our living situations. We own as many appliances that we have room for – hair-dryers, blenders, clock radios – anything to make our lives cozier. However, the average household spends an average $1,300 a year on their energy bills and much of that is wasted. Not only are we wasting money, but we are contributing to the carbon footprint by supporting energy sources that release carbon dioxide into our atmosphere (the major cause of global warming). Luckily, manufacturers have taken note and now make energy efficient appliances for the frugal and environmentally conscious.

The kitchen is a center for energy-guzzling appliances: Refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, etc. With all these options, it’s fairly easy to find energy efficient appliances. For example, there are several choices when picking out an oven. Most consumer ovens are either powered by gas or electricity, but both use about the same energy to heat them. Gas is the preferred source for heating-energy, but cooking shouldn’t make a huge impact on your energy bill. Convection ovens conserve more energy than a conventional oven because the heat is constantly circulated around the food – thereby reducing cooking time. The same thing goes for microwaves: Although it takes less energy to power a regular oven, microwaves cook food rapidly, using only two thirds of the energy it would take to cook the same food in a conventional oven.

According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, most home electronics aren’t really considered “off” until you can’t turn them on with a remote control. When we push the power button on our television sets, we are just putting it in a state of “passive standby,” where the appliance is still using up watts. For example, a TiVo or DVR actually uses the same amount of electricity when it is turned “off” (passive standby) than when it is active. The ACE3 suggests that you unplug all appliances when they’re not in use – especially objects like phone chargers. They also recommend that you use power strips for your electrical appliances; strips make it easy to turn products truly-off with a simple flip of a switch.

The ACE3 also suggests using power meters, devices that plug in between the wall and your appliance to measure how many watts a given item is using. This will help you prioritize which appliances you should unplug when they are not in use.

Back in 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency created the the Energy Star label so consumers could distinguish energy efficient appliances. The label determines whether a product uses appropriate amounts of energy and doesn’t release any excessive greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere. Since its inception, the star/arch label can be found on anything from battery chargers to computers to air conditioners – basically anything that uses power.

This has become the easiest way and in some cases the first way people begin to make small changes to their lifestyles in order to use less energy and leave less of an impact on the planet.