Buy Efficient Stuff
When your old lights and appliances need to be replaced, ask your parents to buy energy-efficient models. Let your parents know about the ENERGY STAR® label, which helps you find super-efficient stuff. For example:
- ENERGY STAR® refrigerator/freezers use about a third less energy than those built 30 years ago. So you could power 3½ new refrigerator/freezers with the amount of electricity it took to run 1 typical refrigerator sold in 1973!
- ENERGY STAR® clothes washers clean your clothes with half the energy of older machines. They use only about half as much water, too!
Comparing Appliance Costs
- Appliance A is very efficient. It costs $260 and uses about $10 of electricity per month.
- Appliance B is less efficient. It only costs $200 but uses about $20 of electricity per month.
Appliance A costs $60 more to buy than appliance B, but uses $10 less energy per month. How many months of use will it take for Appliance A to make up the difference in its purchase price through dollars saved on electricity bills? Why is A the smarter choice in the long run?
EnergyGuide Labels
Yellow and black EnergyGuide labels show the cost to run each appliance per year. The lower the dollar figure on an EnergyGuide label, the more efficient the appliance—and the less it costs to run.
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