Chapter 9: Energy Star: Understanding What It is
Have you heard of Energy Star? If you have not, this is your friend for sure.
If you are purchasing any new unit for your home, from a dishwasher or refrigerator to the hot water tank and the furnace, Energy Star is something that you do want to take full advantage of.
This is a term, a distinction that you should have on any of the appliances or major systems within your home. When a product is deemed to be Energy Star ready, it is capable of providing the necessary service to you but through reduced energy costs.
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, along with the US Department of Energy is the sponsor of Energy Star programs. Their goal is to help each person to save money as well as to help each of us to protect the environment by using energy efficient products and by using energy benefiting practices.
The Energy Star program has been able to help people to save quite a bit of money. The EPA claims that in 2005, Americans were able to save someplace around $12 billion dollars by using Energy Star products and therefore saving on their utility bills.
But, it does not stop there. They also claim that by using these products, Energy Star has helped to avoid greenhouse gas emissions that would be about the same as that of 23 million cars in 2005 alone. Therefore, it is a good program to take note of.
The program is in place to allow people to save money, but how much money can you actually save by using Energy Star products? The EPA estimates that in most cases, by choosing an Energy Star product over one that is not, you can save about a third or more of your energy bill with the product. In addition, you help to cut down on greenhouse emissions by about a third as well.
The problem was that it seemed for a long time that to get an energy benefiting product you must give up some features to cut back on the use of your product. Yet, with Energy Star, the program was designed to allow for all of the same products and services with no sacrificing of the quality of comfort of the product but still saving money.
In Your Needs
So, how does Energy Star play a role in helping you to save money? There are several ways. In short, you want to select services and products that offer the Energy Star seal of approval. There are several ways that you can gain these benefits.
When Purchasing New Appliances
For example, if you are purchasing a new appliance, you can save a good deal of money by purchasing a product that is Energy Star approved. Most of us have seen the yellow tags on appliances to show us just what the benefits to our energy bill is if we purchase this product.
In order for an appliance to get this tag on it, it must pass some pretty amazing tests to insure that it is efficient enough to be considered an Energy Star product. The guidelines are set for each type of product through the United States Department of Energy and by the Environmental Protection Agency.
If you are looking for a new appliance, such as a refrigerator, a washer or dryer, a dishwasher, an oven, a cook top…any appliance for your home, look for one that is Energy Star approved as it will save you a great deal of money in the long run.
In A Home
Something that has been just becoming available is the ability to tap into Energy Star benefits through your actual new home purchase. As you will see in later chapters, you can now purchase homes that are Energy Star efficient. If you do this, you will save a great deal of money.
Look for a home that has been designed specifically for energy efficiency and you will walk away with benefits.
Other Benefits
You can also go to the EPA’s website to gain tools that will help you to design and fix problems related to energy needs as well. You can find how to lower your energy bills while still providing a great deal of comfort to you and to your family.
A business can also find benefits of using Energy Star products. Just as you can implement these products into a home, they can fit well into most businesses as well. Some times, the rewards here are better bottom lines.