Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings

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By purchasing energy-efficient appliances, you can also have a positive effect on national security, the economy, and the environment. The efficient use of oil, gas, and electricity improves U.S. economic competitiveness, and reduces the environmental pollution associated with energy production and use.

In fact, choosing energy-efficient appliances is one way you can immediately reduce your contribution to global climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the primary gas affecting global warming and virtually all energy-using equipment results in CO₂ emissions either directly or indirectly. Since burning oil or gas in your furnace creates CO₂ directly, choosing a more efficient furnace will reduce this pollutant right from your home. Furthermore, coal or gas is burned in most power plants to create electricity and this produces emissions. By replacing a 20-year-old refrigerator with a new, energy-efficient model, not only will you save about 800 kWh per year, you will also reduce your home's CO₂ contribution by about one ton per year—all while saving about $65 per year through reduced electric bills.

Rebate and Tax Incentive Programs

Some states and utilities offer rebates if you purchase energy-efficient appliances. Rebates reduce your initial purchase price of high-efficiency models, making them even more attractive.

Rebate programs are most common for high-efficiency refrigerators, air conditioning equipment, and clothes washers. Some gas utilities offer rebates for high-efficiency furnaces, while water utilities may offer rebates for water-saving clothes washers. If you plan to buy a major appliance soon, ask your utility if it offers rebates for efficient models.

A number of states have introduced tax incentives—typically income tax credits or elimination of state sales tax—for the purchase of high-efficiency appliances. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 enacted new federal tax credits for consumers for 2006 and 2007 .

For more detailed information about federal income tax incentives in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, visit the new Web site from the Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP) at www.energytaxincentives.org.

Buying a new appliance

When you buy an appliance, you pay more than just the sales price—you commit yourself to paying the cost of running the appliance for as long as you own it. This energy cost adds up. The sum of the purchase price and the energy cost of running an appliance over its lifetime is called its lifecycle cost. The lifecycle cost of an energy-efficient appliance is typically lower than the lifecycle cost of an average model.

The model numbers in our lists are those used by manufacturers in their product directories. In some cases, appliance dealers use abbreviated model numbers. An asterisk (*) appearing in a model number indicates a digit or letter that varies with features of the appliance not affecting efficiency or capacity (for example, color).

If you cannot find some of the models listed on this site, you can still use the information to your advantage: compare the efficiencies of the models you can find to those listed here. The models listed on this site represent a very small fraction of all the new appliances available. Manufacturers constantly introduce new models, and very efficient models may have become available after lists on this site were compiled. Also, you can ensure you are purchasing a relatively efficient product by looking for the ENERGY STAR label on refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, central and room air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, and boilers.

When shopping for major appliances, you may want to call several stores or dealers to check the price and availability of different models. Ask the salesperson for information about the efficiency of each model. The yellow EnergyGuide labels can help you compare similar models.

We realize that energy performance is only one of several important criteria for selecting home appliances. We do not collect information on product reliability or other concerns. However, energy-efficient appliances are generally high-quality products due to better materials and components used in their construction.

Source - U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR