I have spent some time now reading articles, talking to friends, family and knowledgable staff at the local big name stores. I wanted to find out as much as I could about the best, energy-saving products on the market. I also wanted to find the best prices for home appliances.
When I say appliances, I mean the big ones. Washers, dryers, dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators. These are the 5 major appliances that I will focus on in this blog.
I went to two different stores. I went to Home Depot and a local store, Tri-City Sales. Here is what I found out.
Both stores have similar products, while not necessarily all the same brands, both retailers carry energy-star appliances. At Home Depot, they have something called EcoOptions. Any product with an EcoOption logo/sticker on it, are the greener products that they sell. At both Tri-City Sales and Home Depot, the energy-star products offered a $50 mail-in rebate to consumers.
The first appliances I looked at were the washers and dryers.
At Home depot, there were 3 brands that carried appliances with the Energy Star (ES) logo; LG, GE and Maytag. Now the only one I found information on in the store was the Maytag. The description claimed that it uses 64% less energy because of less water usage.
Now at Tri-City, there were a few brands that were labeled with the Energy Star sticker. One brand in particular that provided a lot of information was Bosch. Bosch uses a technology known as EcoSmart. This technology uses sensors to maximize efficiency. “The Ecosensor automatically stops clothes when dry, preventing damage from overdrying and saving energy. The EcoAction lowers the temperature of the air and enhances cycle efficiency which reduces energy consumption up to 10% each cycle. The ActiveWater technology uses up to 70% less water per load than industry average. (Based on the average energy consumption by brand, for full-size front loaders).”
The next appliance I looked at were the refrigerators. At Home Depot, there was again, not a lot of information. The same brands were labeled energy star approved (Maytag, LG and GE) but the Maytag was the only product to offer any information. The Maytag fridge claims to use less energy than a 75 watt light bulb.
At Tri-City, the refrigerators were limited in the ES rating. There were general tips displayed near the fridges though, such as checking filters and bulbs in the freezer every 6 months to ensure the most efficient energy usage.
Lastly, I looked at the dishwashers. Here Home Depot did better than Tri-City at offering energy efficient products. Home Depot had 2 brands available with the ES logo, GE and LG. They also provided information on energy efficiency with dishwashers. One of the tips I really liked was to let the dishes air dry instead of using the heat dry setting. This uses a lot less energy. Also, dishwashing in general uses 1/2 the water that hand washing dishes does.
As for ovens and microwaves, there are no ES approved products on the market yet, but according to Susan at Tri-City (thank you Susan), the best thing to do is look for a microwave with a lower wattage. Now this may mean adding an extra minute to your Rahman noodles, but that extra minute still uses less energy than a more powerful microwave. Also, she mentioned that gas is a great alternative to electric stoves, especially in a power failure. Gas is a better resource than electricity, at least in this situation.
Ok, now one thing that Home Depot does is they provide booklets on being more green in your home. The booklet has handy tips on home insulation, CFLs and how to stop leaks and drips (which waste a lot more water than you think).
One thing I want you to watch for is this; just because there is an Energy Star logo on something, doesn’t mean it is the most efficient product on the market. The Energy Star ratings are flexible depending on the appliances, the markets, the companies. There are always loopholes that corporations take. So, that said, do your research prior to buying a product. Sometimes an energy star product may not be the most efficient way to go, especially since many of these products are on the larger side to accomodate bigger household needs. If you are like me who only does laundry about once a month or the dishes twice a week because I don’t use that much, then a smaller appliance is going to more appropriate and that sometimes means not an energystar product.
Does all that make sense? Bottom line, think about your needs before buying. Below are some great websites to help you in your decision making.
Energy Efficient Appliances – Home Depot
CBS – The truth behind Energy Star
