Energy Efficient Appliances

Most devices look very comparable on the face of it but they can vary significantly when it comes to energy efficiency and therefore running costs.

In this article you can discover all you need to know about electricity saving appliances. Discover what energy electricity saving household appliances are, what makes them different, the advantages of using them and whether they are right for you and your home. For questions concerning energy-efficient appliances and other home appliances, contact Power Appliance Repair.

What is an Energy Efficient Appliance?

Put simply energy efficiency is employing decreased energy to perform the same function. This could mean, replacing an incandescent bulb with an energy efficient fluorescent bulb that produces the same level of light or insulating your walls so you need less heating.

Energy efficiency is related to but not the same as energy conservation which involves employing less energy by adjusting behaviours or habits. For example, choosing to walk when you might normally have used the car or only using the dishwasher when you have a full load.

Electricity saving appliances are made to provide equivalent results in a more efficient way allowing you to save money. Lower energy usage result in lower utility bills and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Many appliances for sale in the USA are ENERGY STAR marked, meaning they offer use less electricity than lower efficiency models, normally ranging from 10-50%. Most household appliances also have EnergyGuide labels which advertize how economical they are when looked at next to other similar appliances.

These ratings can be a great place to start when figuring out if an appliance is energy conserving or not.

Types of Electricity Efficient Household Appliances

Some different types of electricity saving devices include:

Fridges
Air Purifiers
Water Heaters
Washers
Tumble Dryers

How Low Energy Household Appliances work

Electricity saving household appliances work by taking advantage of the most up to date techniques to ensure they waste as little power as possible. That might mean more advanced insulation in freezers, filters in dishwashers, or moisture sensors in dryers to limit drying time.

Reasons to Choose Energy Efficient Devices

Switching to low energy household appliances makes sense for multiple reasons:

Saving energy. The less energy intensive an appliance is the less energy it needs . Meaning you can experience a noticeable saving in energy without having to change your habits.
Reducing cost. Although lower energy household appliances might have a higher up-front cost they will inevitably save you money in the long run by reducing your electricity bills.
Environmental advantages. Most of the energy we need for our daily lives comes from non-renewable resources and results in the emission of greenhouse gases. Reducing our abuse of natural resources also preserves them for future use in a more sustainable way.
Resource Security. With resource prices constantly rising and natural resources constantly being used up choosing energy-efficient household appliances is a more sustainable option.

Do Energy Conserving Devices Actually Save Money?

Low energy devices save you money by reducing your energy usage and in turn your electricity bills.

The extent to which you save and whether or not you enjoy a noticeable difference in your monthly bills will depend on the relative efficiency of the previous and future devices, the intensity of use and how long the product lasts.

The older the good you are changing is the more significant the difference you are likely to see. Similarly the more energy the appliance requires to run the bigger the possible savings. For example replacing an old, wasteful, too big air conditioner with a replacement ENERGY STAR marked one that is the correct size for your space, could make a notable impact whereas replacing your dishwasher with one that is only 10% less energy intensive is likely to have a much smaller impact.

Research suggests that if your fridge was made in the 1990’s you are looking to save up to $270 in five years, however if it was produced in the last 10 years the savings will be much lower.

You also have to ensure you use your devices efficiency 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 examining new devices factoring in both the purchase price and the running costs will help you make the top decision for you.

How Electricity Efficient Devices Help the Planet

Saving energy isn’t only about reducing your bills. Minimizing energy usage also has a sustainability impact.

Our actions have big effects on the natural world, one of the most pressing of which is the release of greenhouse gasses into the environment through the consumption of oil and gas that have been linked to air pollution and climate change.

As the general population become more aware of the environmental effect of our daily actions the market is reacting with less wasteful solutions to our problems. Whether that is electric cars or in this case low energy refrigerators.

What are ENERGY STAR rated Household Appliances?

The ENERGY STAR certification was formed in 1992 to ensure an easily detectable way for consumers to decide upon more sustainable household appliances.

Certified appliances must meet both power consumption and consumer requirements in regards to quality and attributes.

The qualifications for the ENERGY STAR certification are different for different types of goods. In order to gain the rating, devices are required to be a minimum percentage less energy intensive than the base product in their class.

However, not all ENERGY STAR certified products are equal in terms of efficiency. I.e a freezer that is 10% more efficient and one that uses 20% less energy would get the symbol. Thus although making sure you see the rating is a good starting point, it is still worth looking into the actual figures before picking the best one for you.

Is an Electricity Saving Appliance the Best Choice for Your Home?

Energy efficient appliances really do make a difference on an individual and global level, meaning more money in your pocket and more resources to go around.

If you are in the market for a new appliance check the EnergyGuide label. This label tells you the amount of energy an appliance gets through and makes it more straight forward to decide between brands and styles.

You’ll also want to check how much your electricity costs you so you can make more personalized comparisons.

Size makes a difference when it comes to home appliances. For example:

Having one full size fridge requires less energy than paying for two smaller ones. Unless you only need the extra one at certain times of the year
When buying a new washing machine consider the size of the drum as running a lower capacity machine two times uses more energy than running a bigger machine once.
Even the most efficient water heater will never reduce your bills if it’s three times the size you require for your home.

Devices use more energy as they get older so replace older items first and if you have the funds available, focus on the ones that use the most energy.