Energy efficient appliances

Energy efficient appliances are one of the best ways for you to reduce your carbon footprint today. They are cheaper than alternative energy sources such as solar power and wind power, and in many cases they can be 40-80% more efficient than the old appliances they are replacing. That jump in efficiency can make a huge impact on your monthly bills! Refrigerators are one appliance that has seen a huge jump in the past decade. A new model refrigerator is actually twice as efficient as an old one. You may think that the meager energy use of a fridge is not a big deal, but it actually is.

When you stop to think about it, a refrigerator is one of the best energy efficient appliances to buy. A refrigerator is always on, no matter what time of day it is, no matter what season it is. The same cannot be said of your furnace, your microwave, your oven, your air conditioner or any of the other energy efficient appliance options on the market today. The other reason that refrigerators are such a great replacement option is that they have experienced technological breakthroughs in the past decade that make a substantial difference in the efficiency of the units.

hat is not to say that choosing different energy efficient appliances, such as a furnace or an air conditioner, will not yield substantial rewards: they most certainly will. Heating and cooling units have long been a favorite of government subsidies, and that trend continues today. You can literally shave a thousand dollars or more off the cost of your next furnace through government funding programs. This benefits you, quite obviously; but it is also a good thing for other people as well.

The work provided to installers by these programs is invaluable, as is the factory work for the manufacturers. The new units are safer, more reliable, and more parsimonious with the natural gas that most heaters use. This means that not only do you pay less for the furnace thanks to the subsidy; you also pay less each month for natural gas because your furnace is not a gas hog. Another popular energy efficient appliance is the water heater. Old water heaters burned natural gas to keep a tank of dozens of gallons of water hot enough for you to use. New systems are far more efficient, and there are a number of styles to choose from. Some still rely on natural gas, while others have found ways to heat water with solar power or other clean energy.

Some energy efficient water heaters are even tankless heaters, which may sound odd. These heaters have the capacity to flash heat water to a desired temperature at the same speed that demand for that water is created. This means that you don't have to pay to keep water on hand and hot in case you need it. Instead the heater only heats the water you use, which cuts drastically into the energy budget of a water heater.