Choosing Appliances With Energy Star Ratings

Energy Star is a voluntary marking program created to offer people facts on the relative energy savings of various products. This program started with tags for computer components, yet expanded to incorporate residential heating and air conditioning systems, home building products and kitchen appliances. Another good type to see are the Breville Juice Extractors.

The United States Department of Energy had previously established energy usage criteria for new appliances, however the Energy Star program advocates products that surpass DOE criteria. Many appliances have a yellow Energy Guide sign communicating the annual cost of operation in contrast to comparable models.

Whenever an appliance has the Energy Star logo in combination with this Energy Guide, the appliance will typically consume 20-30% less electricity than is mandated by Department of Energy criteria. As of 2008, refrigerators with an Energy Star logo were obligated to utilize 20% less electricity than the federal minimum standard, and dishwashers were obligated to utilize 41% less electricity than that same set of criteria. Be sure to check out the multiple types of Breville Juice Extractors.

It is important to understand that the figures referred to on the Energy Star sticker in addition to the federal criteria for each appliance signify that product in new condition operating at full capacity. As an example, if you have a really energy efficient washer but do not employ it with a full load of laundry, as is intended by the company, you certainly won’t receive the predicted energy savings.

Another item that the Energy Star label won’t say is how well the appliance was put together. If you buy an oven with a particularly high energy rating but need to find a replacement in five years because of bad quality, you have saved neither electricity nor funds. More energy will be employed to make and deliver your next oven, and naturally any energy savings you enjoyed while using your existing oven will immediately evaporate into the cost of the next model. You can use many decent consumer evaluations websites that will offer you useful facts regarding the workmanship of numerous appliances.

It might be quicker and more straightforward for appliance consumers if there was an individual sticker that included all the relevant information on any appliance. If most people could know at a glance which product was the most affordable, most green and would carry on the longest, we will merely need to make a decision about the color. Manufacturers haven’t provided that alternative, sad to say, but at least we can access a consistent rating system to notify us about the important issues – like energy use.