Home appliances save time, make our homes more comfortable, and increase our quality of life. However, there is more to choosing an appliance than simply selecting the finish, features and price.
Finding a washer, dryer or refrigerator that gets the job done while using less energy and water has become much easier, thanks to programs such as ENERGY STAR and the EnergyGuide label. These labels help you select an appliance that performs well, yet conserves natural resources.
Get ready for a whole new wave of intelligent appliances. These “smart” refrigerators, washers, dryers and water heaters can track how much energy they are using; those that are smart grid ready have the ability to shift usage to periods of lower electricity demand, thereby easing pressure on the electrical grid.
For example, a smart washer can delay the start of a load to off-peak times, or a refrigerator can turn its compressor off for a couple of hours.
Some smart features are geared toward convenience; for example, you can select cycles and start or stop washer or dryer loads remotely, download new cycles or even troubleshoot problems with technicians.
Certain Whirlpool smart ovens integrate with the Yummly App, which provides personalized recipe guidance to customers, along with looking instructions sent to your oven. The connectivity is interactive, not just a one way “push.” A connected thermometer monitors the cooking progress.
Though many of the major manufacturers, including Whirlpool, GE, Bosch and LG Electronics, are starting to offer smart appliances, expect a greater range of offerings over the next few years. The expansion of choices should start driving the price of intelligence down.
Of all the appliances in the home, the refrigerator can be the most wasteful of electricity. Unlike other appliances that you can turn off, the refrigerator is always on. Fortunately, modern refrigerators are more than 75 percent more energy efficient than those built just 15 years ago.
Upgrading your 1970s-era fridge to a modern Energy Star option can save you over $200 annually in energy bills. Rebates from local utility companies, manufacturers, federal, state and local governments are often available. Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency to see what’s available in your area.
Besides saving energy, some manufacturers are producing refrigerators that simply do a better job of storing food. Smart refrigerators are able to moderate the humidity of different bins within the unit, which reduces food spoilage and waste.
Fruits and vegetables, for instance, require higher levels of humidity and a constant circulation of air to retain their freshness, color, flavor and vitamins. Meats, on the other hand, should be kept in drier, more air-tight compartments. While this technology can help you preserve your food, it does come at a higher price.
What to Know
Energy savings and water savings are closely linked; the more hot water you use in your appliances, the higher your energy bills.
Dishwashers produced before 1994 typically use 10 gallons per load more water than modern units. Considering that the average home washes over 300 loads per year, reducing the amount of water used can quickly lower utility bills. Dishwashers that offer cycle selections and energy-saving options can help reduce the amount of water you use.
To dissolve detergent and remove grease, dishwashers require extremely hot water. Many dishwashers now come with a “booster” or internal heating element that raises the incoming water temperature to the required 140 degrees.
This enables you to lower the temperature on your water heater and still allow your dishwasher to operate at optimum levels. Some dishwashers offer the booster cycle, but only if you select “heavy duty.”
Along with energy and water savings, noise is a factor in choosing a dishwasher. Measured in decibels (dB), the amount of sound produced can vary dramatically by make and model.
Normal conversation levels range around 60 dB, so choosing a unit that is quieter than that is important. Because of advances in insulation and soundproofing, some dishwashers can be “whisper quiet,” creating as little as 41 dB during operation. That is just slightly louder than the hum of your refrigerator.
What to Know
Refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry units may be considered “major” appliances, but they aren’t the only units you may have to purchase or replace. Thoughtful selection of ranges, ovens, cooktops, microwaves and range hoods can help reduce energy use while improving the quality of life around your home.
Ranges. The kitchen range is a dual oven/cooktop, and is available in electric, natural gas and dual fuel. The benefit of a dual-fuel range is that it has the benefits of gas burners on the cooktop, but offers the stable temperatures of oven cooking with electricity. Times have changed, however, and we now know a lot more about the negative impacts of cooking with gas.
Not only is gas a fossil fuel that’s hard to extract and responsible for a lot of methane release during extraction, it also leaves dangerous toxins in your home, even when you use a range hood.
Fortunately, cooktops are now available that use a technology called electrical induction, which creates a magnetic field that heats pans directly, unlike traditional electric resistance coils, which use conduction to transfer heat.
The advantages of induction are threefold: First, it’s good to cook with. Many chefs now prefer it over gas, because it offers precise control over temperatures and super-rapid heating when you need it.
Second, you can power induction with renewable energy, rather than fossil fuels. That means you could actually cook with energy created by solar panels or wind.
Third, you can cook with cast iron on induction tops. For those of us who don’t like using pans coated with dangerous PFAs, that’s a big plus.
Microwaves. Often an afterthought when finishing a kitchen, microwaves can create a more energy-efficient and comfortable kitchen when used properly. Energy consumption can be reduced by up to 80 percent when smaller portions are heated up in the microwave instead of the oven. Also, using a microwave instead of the oven will reduce the amount of heat generated in the kitchen.
What to Know about Ovens and Cooktops
Range Hoods. These are more important than ever in the kitchen for several reasons. First, the ventilation removes unwanted moisture, which could lead to mold issues in the home.
A range hood also exhausts heat, smoke and cooking odors from the home. A quality hood also offers task lighting above the range, which will increase safety around hot burners. However, very few people use range hoods on a regular basis.
It’s our hope with the new research emerging about just how bad cooking fumes are for your health, more people will get serious about range hood use.
When buying a range hood, look for the quietest model you can find. In general, products that use a centrifugal fan are quieter than their counterparts with standard exhaust fans.
The average American family does more than 400 loads of laundry a year. Fortunately, reducing the water used for laundry has gotten easier in the past decade, thanks in large part to the advancement (and acceptance) of front-loading washing machines.
Two terms to be familiar with when evaluating washing machines are modified energy factor (MEF) and water factor (WF). The higher the MEF, the more energy efficient the model. This rating takes into account not only the energy used during the course of cleaning the clothes, but also the energy used to heat the water and run the dryer. The WF rates the water efficiency of the unit based on its size. The lower the WF, the more water efficient the washer.
Using the MEF and WF, along with an ENERGY STAR label and the EnergyGuide label can help you determine which washer set will conserve resources, yet still perform well.
What to Know
Clothes dryers are responsible for 6 percent of a home’s total energy usage, according to the Consumer Energy Center. This is partly because they use temperature-controlled air from inside a home, and then pump it out. In the winter, a home furnace must make up for the warm air lost. In the summer, air cooled by an air conditioner is used and re-heated in the dryer.
A relatively new technology, Heat Pump Clothes Dryers (HPCD) or “condensation” dryers work on a loop system. Air is drawn into the loop, goes through the dryer system and then is reused, instead of being pumped outside.
HPCDs such as this model from Whirlpool, are ideal for places where venting to the outdoors is difficult, or dry climates where you want to add humidity to indoor air. Research shows that if you pair one with a high efficiency clothes washer (which wrings clothes especially dry), you can save about 35% of the energy used washing and drying clothes.
How Do Condensation Dryers Work?
Publisher’s Note: This content is made possible by our Today’s Homeowner Campaign Sponsors: Whirlpool, Carrier and Jinko Solar. These companies take sustainability seriously, in both their products and their operations. Learn more about building and buying homes that are more affordable and less resource intensive.