This is the second guest post from Australian-based Jacob Pettit. Key area of interest here: saving dollars with energy efficient, green appliances.
There are many wonderful updates for your home that are energy efficient and green. These options effectively save you money and promote a more environmentally friendly world. One of the most significant changes that you can make is to swap your current non-energy efficient appliances for greener options.
Green Enterprise asserts that energy efficient appliances are currently more efficient than ever, while their prices are also at an all-time low. This makes energy efficient appliances an even more attractive option. To fully understand just how significant of a change energy efficient and environmentally friendly appliances can make in your home, continue reading below.
Lower Energy Bills
The greatest advantage of incorporating energy efficient and green appliances into your home is that they lead to lower energy bills. Home appliances are responsible for about 13% of your home’s energy cost, and by using more efficient appliances that use less energy, you’ll be able to significantly reduce your energy bill. According to Fox Business, replacing sizable appliances is what leads to the highest savings. Items like water heaters, dishwashers, and refrigerators are the major culprits of energy use within the home. Current estimates conclude that by changing to more energy efficient appliances, a family of four can save around $300-$400 per year.
Environmentally Friendly
Energy efficient appliances have another advantage and that is that they are environmentally friendly. Appliances are some of the most notorious culprits of emitting dangerous gases and heat into the atmosphere, effectively contributing to a rise in pollution and global warming. The Alliance to Save Energy states that by switching to energy efficient home appliances, countries can save about 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Such a reduction can have a major role in combating pollution and global warming while also working to greater a better and more acceptable society to live in.
The Best Appliances to Help You Save Your Wallet and the Environment
When it comes to choosing energy efficient and environmentally friendly appliances, you want to choose appliances that will give you the most return on your investment. To do this, the best solution is to choose items that have a high star energy rating or are certified by energy star as being energy efficient and environmentally friendly appliances. To help you make the right decision, below are the major items that you can switch in your home for a maximum effect.
Refrigerator
Statistics show that out of all the appliances in your home, the refrigerator is the big item that guzzles the most energy. The reasons behind this is that most individuals open the fridge frequently and the home fridge is usually an outdated item without the right energy efficiency standards. A new energy efficient fridge can use less than 500 kWH per year and emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Water Heater
Another major item that you should consider changing is your water heater. Water heaters are most efficient when they have a high energy star rating. According to Hot Water Sydney, switching your water heater to a more energy efficient unit can save you not only in water heating costs, but it can also protect the environment because it will emit fewer greenhouse gases. For the most effective results, water heaters with a high energy star rating are best.
Dishwasher
Lastly, for those that have a dishwasher in their home, know that this appliance is infamous for using a great deal of water and energy, especially if it isn’t an energy efficient certified unit. By changing to an energy efficient unit, the unit will run on 25% less energy than non-energy efficient models and it will emit fewer noxious gases into the atmosphere.
Other Tips for Energy Efficient Appliances
Apart from choosing the right energy efficient appliances, there are also a few minor tips that you can take into action to ensure that your energy efficient appliances are providing you with maximum benefit.
Not in a Sunny Area
The first tip is to not place your appliance in a sunny area, unless it is a water heater. Placing items like your fridge, washing machine, or dryer in a room with direct sunlight can exacerbate the machine and cause it to use more energy than it should. Furthermore, keeping it away from sunlight can also protect the unit.
Run the Unit at Certain Times
Another tip is to run your unit at certain times of the day. Every city is different, but most will charge you less for the energy you use at designated times.
Seal and Protect Your Appliance
Lastly, with items like a fridge, ensuring that there is no energy leak and everything is sealed can mean a world of difference in energy use. Also, proper and regular maintenance can keep the unit running like it should, reducing your costs and energy emissions into the atmosphere.
Protecting the environment is just as important as protecting your wallet. With the above tips and lifestyle changes, you can ensure that you’re doing both. Fortunately, these changes are easy and stress-free, so all that is left is to notice the savings and to enjoy from the good feeling of doing your part to protect the environment.
Jacob Pettit is an environmental writer and do-it-yourself kind of guy who focuses on ways to improve his home through more environmentally friendly methods. His most recent projects include a roof renovation and a new driveway.
Photo: Plumber repairing hot water heater from Shutterstock
The post Guest Post: Help Your Wallet and the Environment by Switching to Energy Efficient Appliances appeared first on Green Building Elements.