How To Buy The Most Energy Efficient Appliances For Your Home
As opposed to focusing only on the price tag, buying energy efficient appliances can result in monthly savings that recur every month. These savings, when accumulated over the life of each appliance, can be substantial, reaching sums that can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars. To maximize these savings, consumers havea variety of information sources that can help to define the most energy efficient appliances within each product category.
If you are in the process of determining the best appliances for your household, the following information sources can reveal the relative energy consumption of the products that are under consideration, which will define the true cost of each product over its usable life.
1) EnergyGuide - This is a standard label on a wide variety of appliances that have measurable variances in energy consumption between models in the same category. The most revealing feature is the horizontal graph in the middle of the label, which pinpoints the specific appliance's energy consumption versus other products in the category.
2) ENERGY STAR certification - Appliances that have been certified by ENERGY STAR exceed federal standards by 15 to 20 percent, which puts them at the top of each product category for energy efficiency. These products are typically more expensive than less efficient models but potential rebates and energy savings over the product life of each appliance can result in overall costs that are far less than cheaper models.
3) CEE Tiers While ENERGY STAR certified appliances are recognized as being at the top of the food chain for energy efficiency, CEE tiers can reveal the most efficient products in each ENERGY STAR appliance category. A CEE Tier rating of I signifies an appliance that meets ENERGY STAR standards with Tiers II and III representing progressively higher efficiency levels.
Unlike many products, appliances incur a monthly cost due to energy and water consumption. By using these information sources, you can determine the products that will save the most money over time, which can define the best appliance value in each category.
If you are in the process of determining the best appliances for your household, the following information sources can reveal the relative energy consumption of the products that are under consideration, which will define the true cost of each product over its usable life.
1) EnergyGuide - This is a standard label on a wide variety of appliances that have measurable variances in energy consumption between models in the same category. The most revealing feature is the horizontal graph in the middle of the label, which pinpoints the specific appliance's energy consumption versus other products in the category.
2) ENERGY STAR certification - Appliances that have been certified by ENERGY STAR exceed federal standards by 15 to 20 percent, which puts them at the top of each product category for energy efficiency. These products are typically more expensive than less efficient models but potential rebates and energy savings over the product life of each appliance can result in overall costs that are far less than cheaper models.
3) CEE Tiers While ENERGY STAR certified appliances are recognized as being at the top of the food chain for energy efficiency, CEE tiers can reveal the most efficient products in each ENERGY STAR appliance category. A CEE Tier rating of I signifies an appliance that meets ENERGY STAR standards with Tiers II and III representing progressively higher efficiency levels.
Unlike many products, appliances incur a monthly cost due to energy and water consumption. By using these information sources, you can determine the products that will save the most money over time, which can define the best appliance value in each category.
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