Every appliance is furnished with two different price tags. One of them is its purchase price whereas the other consists of its operating costs which are spread throughout its entire usage period. Appliances which are Energy Star certified make it easier for consumers to get ahold of devices which help them to cut down on operating costs. This is made possible through the energy-efficiency of this particular group of appliances which performs just as well without any compromise on its overall function.
GETTING THE RIGHT SIZE
For heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, buying the right size is critical. According to Energy Star, air-conditioning units which are excessively small require much more time to cool the room. This ultimately eliminates the factor of being energy-efficient. This principle applies to any other appliances as well which simply directs to the fact that users need to select the right size suitable for their household. If an appliance is too big such as a washer, but the household does not have sufficient load to fill it up every time, the energy-efficiency factor is also eradicated.
ENERGY-SAVER SETTINGS
Several appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines need to have energy-saver settings. This is to allow users to tune according to their specific needs on different days. When utilizing such an appliance under the energy-saver settings, water and energy can be saved whenever possible. This gets accomplished on top of being able to still perform heavy-duty washing.
ENERGY GUIDE LABEL
Appliances that are certified with Energy Star, there is a special sticker which users can look out for. For those without, there is always a yellow sticker which displays the appliance’s efficiency figures. This makes it easier for users to seek appliances that can help them save on operating costs and overall energy consumption.
UNDERSTANDING DESIGN ISSUES
Appliances like refrigerators have adopted modern designs which vary in efficiency each. Refrigerators which have their freezer compartment above or below are typically more energy-efficient. The side-by-side design generally consumes more energy especially those with additional compartments for ice-making and water dispenser.
CHEAPER SOURCE OF POWER
The power source that users utilize is an essential factor which contributes toward the overall operating costs of an appliance. This is especially true for water heaters whereby natural gas is much cheaper as opposed to electricity. However, units that run on natural gas are more expensive to install. Thus, users need to consider various factors before deriving with a decision.
INVESTING ON SMART APPLIANCES
Smart appliances are linked to systems that are used to manage their energy consumption. Such systems are programmable which allow users to connect to appliances like a heating or an air-conditioning system’s thermostat. With this function, users can set the desired temperature to be as energy-efficient as possible.
PRIORITIZING INVESTMENTS
Users need to know which appliances they need to invest on and which to prioritize than others. For appliances that consume a higher amount of energy, users can choose to replace them. As for those that can be tuned, users can set them accordingly to match their desired usage to save on energy consumption.
