If you’re interested in cutting down your monthly energy bills, as most homeowners are these days, you do have options. For instance, energy-efficient home appliances are a wonderful way to cut down monthly expenses. The initial cost to purchase such machines is higher than normal, but the savings in the long-run are evident. Too many products are wasteful. For example, a lit fireplace forces around 24,000 cubic-feet of furnace-heated air out of your chimney every hour. That is laughably inefficient. Find another heating method!
Cutting Down
We spend around 20 percent of our monthly electricity bills running various appliances throughout the house. Those numbers can shrink dramatically by replacing the standard fridge, dishwasher, or laundry machine with a high-efficiency model. Appliances that qualify for the Energy Star are available in stores throughout the country. These items effectively cut down on monthly expenses by using less electricity to operate.
Energy Star refrigerators, available from the likes of GE and Frigidaire, for example, use just half the energy as appliances from 15 years ago. Furthermore, these energy-efficient appliances use 15 percent less energy than appliances without the Energy Star rating.
Buying Energy-Efficient Appliances
If you’ve made the decision to purchase energy-efficient home appliances, you’re already on the right track. Now comes the tough part. Doing a bit of research, reading reviews, and shopping around to find the right products can be time-consuming.
Follow these steps:
• Select a style and size
• Consider purchase price and the estimated energy use per month
• Ask about energy-efficient offers
• Read the Energy Guide label
• Search for the Energy Star logo
With these steps complete, you should have the appliances narrowed down to one or two models for your home.
