Most Americans have heard of the ENERGY STAR program. You’ve probably noticed the ENERGY STAR logo on a variety of products, especially when shopping for appliances. But do you know how the ENERGY STAR program started, and why it is important for your home, your community, and for the planet overall?
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The program was designed to help consumers save money, and to protect the environment through the promotion of energy efficient products and practices. The results of the program speak for themselves: Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2010 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 33 million cars — all while saving nearly $18 billion on their utility bills.
Interestingly, according to Samsung, computers and monitors were the first products to be rated by the ENERGY STAR program. Today, ENERGY STAR labels can be found on more than 60 varieties of business, consumer electronics and appliances, and the system has expanded to apply to items ranging from commercial audio and video equipment, computer servers and light bulbs to building supplies and public and corporate buildings.
ENERGY STAR products are 10 to 25 percent more efficient than U.S. government standards. Full-sized ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers, for example, use 14 gallons of water per load compared to the 27 gallons used by a standard machine. That’s 50 percent less water, per load! Over the machine’s lifetime, that’s a savings of 43,000 gallons of water. On average, a new ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer also uses 270 kWh of electricity and costs $60 to run annually.
Why opt for ENERGY STAR?
Every person’s relationship to the environment is different. Some Americans don’t pay much attention to environmental issues, while others care passionately about preserving natural resources and preventing environmental degradation. Many fall somewhere in-between these two categories. A basic fact however, is that we all live on the same planet and rely on the same resources in order to survive. Actions, small or large, that damage the environment or use up natural resources affect us all directly or indirectly. In the same way, any action taken to help preserve the environment is a positive step for the global community.
Purchasing ENERGY STAR appliances is an easy step you can take to limit unnecessary use of natural resources – and to combat greenhouse gas emissions. And with the wide variety of ENERGY STAR appliances available today, you don’t have to sacrifice performance or style in your effort to take a stand for the environment. We represent numerous premium brands that offer ENERGY STAR rated appliances. Just a few examples include:
- The GE Monogram® 48″ Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator with Dispenser, which features an advanced temperature Management System with Multi-Shelf Air Tower and a Climate-Control Drawer.
- Maytag’s High-Efficiency Front-Load and Top-Load and Traditional Top-Load laundry machines all are ENERGY STAR qualified.
- Whirlpool offers a variety of High-Efficiency laundry machines with features such as sensors that detect when fabrics are dry, saving energy and money in your home.
There are so many eco-friendly options when it comes to appliances; from dishwashers to freezers to laundry machines, you can always ask for ENERGY STAR rated products. Stop by one of our showrooms for more information about ENERGY STAR, and so we can help you determine whether a high-efficiency appliance is right for your home. If we all do our part by making eco-friendly choices in our everyday lives, we’ll be contributing toward solutions that could save our planet – and ourselves.
Click Here To Submit A News Tip Or Story