Energy in the Kitchen and Laundry Room

When selecting appliances many times it is the features such as the six burners, timed delayed cook, or instant crushed ice that can draw our eye.  Although those features are very important to the consumer, another feature than can be often overlooked is the energy efficiency of the appliance.

Energy efficiency is as important as any feature to the product.  An easy way to make sure that you are purchasing an efficient appliance is to look for the Energy Star label.  The label denotes how much energy the appliance typically uses per year and how much it would approximately cost you to run the appliance.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy which helps us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products. Energy efficient choices can save families about one third of their energy bill with similar saving of greenhouse gas emissions, without sacrificing features, style or comfort. 

For a complete list of Energy Star appliances please check out www.EnergyStar.gov

Refrigerators

Many top line model refrigerators now have Energy Star ratings.  Refrigerators that are Energy Star rated require approximately half as much energy as models manufactured prior to 1993.  As a matter of fact, Energy Star models use 40% less energy than the conventional models sold in 2001 and 20% less energy than required by the current federal standards.

The refrigerator is the single biggest energy consuming kitchen appliance.  If you would replace a refrigerator bought in 1990 with a new Energy Star qualified model, you would save enough energy to light the average household for almost three months.

Some helpful tips:

Position your refrigerator away from a heat source such as an oven, dishwasher, or direct sunlight from a window

All air to circulate around the condenser coils and leave a space between the wall or cabinets

Keep coils clean

Keep refrigerator between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit

Recycle your older of second refrigerator. For more information go to www.RecycleMyOldFridge.com

Clothes Washer

Clothes washers that are energy efficient come in either front-load or redesigned top-load designs.  Energy Star rated clothes washers cut energy and water consumption by up to 40% compared to conventional washers.

The characteristics that make a clothes washer more energy efficient are the high spin speeds and no central agitator.  With an efficient motor that spins clothes two to three time fasters than during a normal spin cycle, it can extract more water.  With less water absorbed into your clothes that means that it will take less time and energy to dry the clothes.  Front load clothes washers tumble clothes through a small amount of water instead of rubbing clothes against an agitator in a full tub of water.  Advanced top loaders use sophisticated wash systems to flip or spin clothes through a reduced stream of water.  Both designs dramatically reduce the amount of hot water use in the wash cycle, and the energy used to heat it.

Summer is upon us and therefore that means that there will be warmer days ahead.  Depending upon where you live in the United States that could mean days with temperatures as high as 110 degrees Farenheit and plenty of humidity.

Last year we took the challenge to not use air conditioning.  We moved to a one level home in Ohio for the summer that did not have central air.  I was a bit concerned, but thought to myself that we could do this.  There were plenty of nice shade trees that surrounded the home and numerous windows to open. 

This was my greatest test regarding my belief in energy conservation, personal comfort, and temperment.  I knew that there would be some warm days ahead and was concerned about keeping the house as cool as possible.  I also knew that when my family was in too much heat they tended to become a bit grumpy.  Needless to say, we survived the summer with the help of ceiling fans an planned trips to indoor bowling alleys and movie theaters on really hot and humid days.

I knew from many studies regarding air quality that many times the air quality outside the home is much better than that of the inside of your home.  Since my youngest has respiratory issues, I thought that actually having windows opened would help him breathe better. To my amazement he actaully had less breathing problems last summer.

I also wanted to track the utility bill and see how much we were saving as compared to my neighbors electric bill.  I was shocked to see that I was saving an average of over $125 a month on my electric bill.

Now, I am a firm believer in opening windows.  If you keep track of the times in which the air is cooler outside than inside, you can effectively allow fresh air inside and allow your home to "breathe". 

For many of you who live in the very warmer states, I completely understand having and using air conditioning.  It is completely necessary from a health standpoint, however there are days that you might want to think about opening up a window.  Sometimes we are in such a habit that we forget there is a whole other world outside.  We go from our homes, through our garage, to our cars and then to another indoor place that we never take the time to just be outside.

What can you do to keep your home cool this summer that might use less non-renewable energy resources? 

Here are some helpful hints of a good place to start:
1.  Install ceiling fans
2.  Open windows during cool times of the day
3.  Utilize blinds and shades to keep the direct sun out
4.  Insulate your home
5.  Keep your windows and screen clean
6.  Replace or repair old windows, so that they are more energy efficient
7.  Kids love to make fans.  Have the kids create fun fans and keep them around the house for use.


If you have great suggestions, please send them to me.
TheUSAGreenLady@gmail.com
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www.TheUSAGreenLady.com