Saving Money with Energy Efficient Appliances
Wednesday, October 2, 2013, 1:00 AM | Leave Comment
The interior of your home is the most important part of your house and could easily be upgraded to help save money, and by purchasing energy efficient appliances are one of the best ways to do so.
The newer, more energy efficient appliances will not only help homeowners save money, but can also raise the value of your home.
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Refrigerators:
Compared to a standard refrigerator, an energy efficient refrigerator will be about 20% more efficient on average. Typically, an energy efficient fridge will save homeowners roughly $150 per year on average on their utility bills. When combined with an energy star freezer the savings will be much higher. More often than not, an energy efficient fridge has more space in cubic inches than a standard fridge, which is always a positive.
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Freezers:
When comparing freezers, there are various options such as a full size or a smaller unit. Most Energy Star approved freezers on will use 10% less energy than a standard model. Although this may seem like a small amount, this is actually on the lower end of the savings spectrum. In order to conserve more energy, the freezer must maintain a frost level of below ¼ of an inch thick, and defrost manually. If a freezer meets these criteria, the owner can see a significant difference in savings.
Topside, or above the refrigerator style freezers typically conserve 10-25% more energy than bottom or side door style freezers. One thing to take note of is if your freezer has an icemaker, this added feature has the ability to increase energy use 14-20%, which can be a noticeable amount of money each year.
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Dishwashers:
With an Energy Star rated dishwasher, the energy savings will be more than 10% compared to a standard unit. Over time, the owner can save a significant amount of money depending on the types of wash cycles that are generally used. By making sure only the necessary amount of water is used to clean, the potential for money saving increases every time the dishwasher is used.
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Clothes Washers:
When purchasing an energy efficient clothes washer, there are various aspects to take into consideration. In order to conserve energy, a washer with a large capacity is the best option. Energy Star washers typically have larger tubs which allow for more to be washed in the same amount of water as a standard washer. Instead of soaking the clothes in water like most standard washers, energy efficient washers cycle the clothes through streams of water that are monitored and help determine the necessary amount of water used in each of the washing cycles.
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Clothes Dryers:
While Energy Star does not rate for clothes dryers, it’s recommended that you purchase a dryer with motion sensors because they are able to detect when clothes are dry. This system will shut the dryer off which will result in using up less energy. This is much more sophisticated than starting the dryer for a certain period of time due to the fact that if the clothes are done, the dryer will stop before the set time.
These are just some simple ideas for improving the appliances within your home. If you are a do it yourself home owner who like to save money by conserving energy, upgrading to and maintaining energy efficient appliances is an easy and worthwhile idea.
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Mark Scheets is a writer for Total Mortgage Services. For more information about how Total Mortgage can save you money, be sure to check out our Mortgage Rates page.
