Green Appliances: Save On Energy Costs And Recieve A Tax Rebate!
Jan
12
If you want to give your home a free energy audit yourself you can go to thermwise.com or if you want to have an expert evaluate your home call your utility provider and find out if they offer energy audits. Some providers will conduct the audit for free while other’s charge a small fee. Here in Utah it is $25 through Questar. The audits examine insulation, heating and cooling systems, windows, water heaters and other appliances.
Before we bought our home the sellers had an energy audit conducted. All we found out is that the insulation and windows were given good ratings and our radiant gas heater was given a green sticker (which my daughters pulled off).
If you can afford the initial cost it is worth investing in energy efficient products. Your utility bills will be lower, you will increase the value of your home and you may even receive a tax rebate. For example if you buy a natural gas tankless water heater this year you could receive a $300 tax rebate on your 2009 taxes. Learn more about tax rebates on energy efficient appliances.
Here are some interesting facts I have learned about energy efficient appliances.
- Front Load washers conserve water and energy by 40-50%
- Dishwashers are more water efficient than washing dishes by hand especially when washing full loads and using the shortest cycle possible.
- Even replacing your 80′s appliances with a mid 1990′s appliance can mean an improvement of up to 99% more energy efficient.
- Use low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators to reduce the amount of energy you use in the shower. We have a faucet aerator and it works great!
- If you have a tankless water heater, hot water is always available (no waiting for water to heat up!) and it reduces energy consumption 20-30%. For storage water heaters do what we did, wrap it with an inexpensive insulation blanket.
- A new energy efficient refrigerator and freezer can save you $50 a year on your electric bill.
- New energy efficent dryers have moisture sensors so they shut off as soon as clothes are dry unlike older models that are timed so your dryer may still be running 20 minutes after your clothes are dry!
Learn more about energy efficient appliances at: Greenlivingideas.com and Motherearthnews.com,
January 14th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Thank you for sharing these tips. I agree 100% with the washer and dryer. Our front load washer uses 15 gallons for a large load, versus 32 gallons on our previos washer. Now it does take longer to wash, but the clothes is so much cleaner and dryer at the end of the cycle. Our dryer has moisture sensors that beep when there is no moisture. Almost always the clothes is dry with 20 mins left on the timer.
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