Energy Star
Why to Choose Energy Star Products
Whether you're considering upgrading your central air system or a single kitchen appliance, the decision to do so is a big one. After all, home improvements don't tend to come cheap, so your choices can easily affect your day-to-day quality of household life.
The Energy Star Label
If you're a homeowner concerned with saving money on utility costs and helping the planet at the same time, you're in luck. These days, the U.S. government is making it easier than ever to conserve resources and protect the environment. All you have to do is keep your eyes peeled for a label that many of today's household products and appliances are sporting – the Energy Star label.
Back in the early 1990s, the Energy Star program was developed jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal of the initiative was to enable homeowners to save money on utility costs and preserve the environment through energy-efficient practices. To this end, the program works by giving its seal of approval to certain household products that are deemed to be worthy of such.
In order to qualify for the Energy Star label, a product must meet certain requirements. Specifically, a product must perform in a comparable manner to similar items on the market, only in a more energy-efficient fashion. Such energy efficiency must be measurable and verifiable. In addition, to qualify as Energy Star approved, a product that costs more than its less energy-efficient counterparts must provide enough savings for a homeowner to recover the difference via significant utility reductions, and within a reasonable period of time following the initial purchase.
It's great that the Energy Star program makes the act of identifying energy-efficient products incredibly easy for consumers. All a person has to do is look for the Energy Star label to determine whether or not the item he's interested in purchasing is, indeed, more energy efficient than similar units on the market. Furthermore, the Energy Star rating system applies to a variety of household necessities, such as dishwashers, refrigerators, air conditioning systems, boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, light bulbs, and water heaters (including the latest tankless models).
The Payback Period
On the other hand, Energy Star items do tend to be more expensive than their non-efficient counterparts, and although they are technically required to come with some sort of built-in payback period, most homeowners will have to wait a number of years to reap the benefits from a financial perspective. So some people can't help but be a bit skeptical about the actual cost savings involved in purchasing Energy Star products.
As the director of Sales and Marketing at Amarillo, Texas's A&R Mechanical Services, Blair Harris is a big fan of Energy Star products. According to her, despite the fact that Energy Star products will often cost more to purchase, the cost savings on utilities throughout the years is easily enough to make up for any given initial purchase. Although the length of the actual payback period might vary from item to item and situation to situation, on the whole, Energy Star products are pretty much guaranteed to save you money in the long run.
According to Harris, it doesn't automatically make sense for you to upgrade your less efficient appliances to Energy Star models. Since Energy Star items tend to be a bit costly, if you're not planning to stay in your current home for more than a couple of years, you could lose money by paying a lot up front for an Energy Star appliance. Remember, the Energy Star program does not claim to save you money from the get-go, but rather, in the long run.
On the other hand, if you're looking to sell your home and want it to appeal to buyers, the addition of a couple of new Energy Star products might be enough to set your house apart from the local competition. So while such a move might not save you money on energy, you can think of it as an investment in a quick sale of your property.
When it comes to preserving the planet, every little bit counts. By replacing just some of your inefficient appliances with Energy Star models, you can save yourself a significant amount of money over the years while doing your part for protecting the environment.
About the Author
Blair Harris is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Find an HVAC contractor or more HVAC articles at Yodle Consumer Guide.
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