Cornell Cooperative Extension
of Westchester County

Energy Star

Products that earn the Energy Star use less energy
It's time to add or replace appliances or lighting in your home, so what do you do? Which products do you choose and where do you get them? These choices are driven by style, performance, and availability, but in large part by budget. However, when selecting new appliances and lighting, the cost of operation is often overlooked, which can be an expensive mistake. How do you know you are getting the best product for your dollars? Simple - just purchase products with the Energy Star label and be asssured that you are getting products of high quality design, superior construction, and improved performance, along with energy and money savings from lower operating costs.

Products that earn the Energy Star use less energy. This means less energy is generated by power plants, decreasing the amount of fossil fuels burned, which results in less air pollution. Make sure you look for the Energy Star label before purchasing any bulb or appliance that claims to be energy-efficient.

What is Energy Star?
There is not just one price tag on an appliance - there are two: the price of buying it and - as shown on the yellow Energy Guide - the price you pay for the energy to run it. You may be spending more than you think! Over the lifetime of an appliance you may spend much more to use it than it cost to buy it.

When buying new appliances, look for the Energy Star. Energy Star products are those that meet energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. They are made by dozens of manufactuers who have pledged to help save the environment by making products that use less energy to run.

An appliance that qualifies for Energy Star meets tough federal crtieria for energy efficiency. The Energy Star program covers these products: clothes washers and dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, room and central air conditioners, dehumidifiers, ceiling fans, programmable thermostats, furnaces, boilers and heat pumps, TV's, VCR's, DVD's, and audio components, cordless phones and answering machines, computers, monitors, printers and fax machines, light fixtures, lamps and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Visit Energy Star on the web to find out where to buy Energy Star products or call 1-888-STAR-YES.

Energy Star Lighting - A Bright Idea
Energy Star lighting products use two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent lighting, while providing more light, because they operate more efficiently. If you replace the five most used light bulbs in your home with Energy Star bulbs, you'll save $50 a year. Compact flourescent bulbs need to be changed on average, once every seven years, depending on individual usage. This means less time changing light bulbs, a convenience for those hard to reach areas.

For more information please e-mail westchester@cornell.edu

top