Saving Energy Begins At Home

That’s right—no hybrid cars, no funny fuels, and no future bets on technologies that may not ever appear in the consumer world. The home is a level playing field for all of us right now.

It seems we have lost sight of a simple, yet very important aspect of shopping—appliance shopping, that is. The practical has given way to the fashionable in a big way. Multiply this times the number of people who bought a house in the last 3 years, and you get a better sense of the amount of energy going out the window.

Whirlpool is guilty, as is anyone else who thinks stainless steel finishes are the way to go. Those fancy-but-attractive front loader washers with matching dryers, the “French door” refrigerators, the add-on wine refrigerators, the “drawer” style refrigerators and dishwashers, and the special “warming drawer” ovens—all for fashion, none for efficiency.

Does anyone read those cute yellow energy rating tags any more? Does anyone even know HOW or remember why?

It’s been a generation or two since home energy conservation has been hammered home, and young adults just purchasing their first appliances may not have even heard of the importance of these tags, let alone why they exist. Many people just take for granted that all appliances are energy-efficient right out of the box!

Compared to appliances made 20 years ago, this is true. But today there’s efficient and EFFICIENT.

When shopping for appliances, or replacement appliances, you need to consider the energy rating FIRST, and the price SECOND.

I said this at Motley Fool back in 2000, and I’ll say it again:

“Let me give you the short course--those yellow stickers? Watch out! Don't look at the "energy usage comparison" bar (which shows placement of that model compared to other models)...look below that to the "annual energy costs” area--THAT'S where you should concentrate. For the washer--don't get one that uses more than $21/year (you're looking at front-loaders...they're WAY more electrical and water-efficient than top loaders), and for dryers--determine the amount you'll be drying on a regular basis vs. line-drying, factor in the power source (gas will be cheaper to use), and buy accordingly (using the annual cost numbers). Basically, all dryers are the same, except for power source, features and size. BTW--there's NO WRITTEN EVIDENCE that the washer and dryer have to match!!!”

The important thing to remember here is HOW TO USE those energy rating stickers and cards, not the numbers I was quoting from 2000.

Christine Woodside, author of a recently-published book on homeowner energy savings, takes issue with a number of seemingly non-necessary appliances (to her), and names freestanding freezers among them. I beg to differ, unless she means UPRIGHT freezers.

For a family of two, my 7 cubic foot chest freezer uses $22/year to operate, according to the yellow energy sticker inside. An upright freezer of the same size would cost twice as much to operate. If I were to go shopping for a new chest freezer TODAY, I might even find some that use less energy than my current one.

If you happen to be in the market for a washer and dryer, or maybe a new cook top or stove, take the time to compare energy usage in dollars annually. You will find that those fancy Whirlpool and Maytag front-loader pairs, or that side-by-side refrigerator, or the absolutely flat cook top aren’t really efficient at all. They’re house bling, and that’s a whole ‘nuther article by itself.

Fashion does NOT make a better appliance when it comes to energy efficiency—it only makes the house sell faster because the appliances look prettier. But we're in a slow market now, so everything's up for negotiation--and there's plenty of time to think and re-think.

Everything needs to be taken into energy consideration these days: HVAC systems, light bulbs, water heaters, all manner of kitchen appliances, bathrooms, even landscaping—if not for gas and electrical use, then for personal energy. By that, I mean maintenance, and that’s where those stainless steel appliances come into negatives—you cannot keep them shiny and clean without a light coat of some sort of oil, and anyone who worked at Mickey D’s can tell you about “time to lean, time to clean” and stainless steel spray. If you have small children, you could be cleaning the refrigerator and dishwasher off hundreds of times a day. Stainless steel is also a reflective surface, meaning it reflects HEAT back into the room--not good in summer. It’s just not practical for appliances—not like the almond-colored textured finishes of the late 90’s.

I’ll stop now, because I can feel myself being pulled into a “house bling” rant, and that was supposed to be a whole ‘nuther article.