Here's part 6 of our series on energy savings tips from Energy Star:
Out with the old. Refrigerators use more energy than any other appliance in your home. If your refrigerator is 10 years old or older, it may be time for a replacement. A new Energy Star qualified refrigerator uses less than half the energy of a 10-year-old conventional model. Get rid of the old fridge idling in your basement or garage; it probably uses more energy than any other appliance in your home, and is wasting you money.
Look for the Energy Star on new appliances. Always ask for Energy Star on refrigerators, clothes washers, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and other appliances when replacing or remodeling. Check with your local utility or use our Special Offers Finder to see if any product incentives or rebates are available in your local area.
Let the Sunshine In/Keep the Sunshine Out. In the winter, open your window shades and drapes to let the natural warmth of the sun in during the day. At night, close them again to help insulate your windows against heat loss. In the summer, close shades and drapes and consider adding awnings or heat-blocking window film to keep out the sun and reduce the work your air conditioner has to do.
My thoughts:
1. Our refrigerator is just now 10 years old. But it's running well, why do I need a new one that will cost me big bucks? Are these Energy Star people just trying to help sell appliances?
2. We bought an Energy Star-rated washer and dryer when we got new ones last year.
3. Yes to the shades. We do this as well. Our biggest windows face the south, so we get strong afternoon sun. Even in the winter, if it's a sunny day, we can warm our house quite nicely from the sun.
you are right. not only that, people seem to forget that it takes energy to produce all those new products and energy to recycle/destroy old products. For an energy efficient society, we need to look at these things/issues from a bigger picture standpoint
Posted by: collecting wealth | November 05, 2005 at 12:24 AM