Trim Down Your Electricity Bill with Energy Star Appliances
If an entire home renovation with solar panel cells and space heating design is not in your budget, there are other ways you can cut the cost of your monthly bills. Energy Star Appliances are tested and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as products that meet strict energy efficiency standards. According to the EPA, Americans saved approximately 17 billion dollars on utility bills in 2009. The energy saved by all of these products was equivalent to the emissions of 30 million cars. In order to ensure that buyers get a good value, if the energy star product costs more than the average, less efficient product of its type, the energy star product must save enough money in energy costs to recover the extra money spent on the product within a reasonable time period.Energy Star products include home appliances, electronics, heating and cooling, lighting, plumbing and more. The EPA reports that, on average, heating accounts for 29 of home energy usage and cooling makes up 17. These are usually the two highest users of energy in the home. Due to the amount of energy they use, it is extremely important to use efficient heating and cooling systems. Another great way to save money on these costs is with a programmable thermostat. These devices allow you to change the temperature you’re home should run on when you are away. If you are going to be out of town it is a waste of both energy and money to run your heating and air systems on the same temperatures you prefer when you’re at home. The energy star website is a great resource for finding stores near you that carry energy star appliances. The site also includes a savings calculator that allows you to estimate short and long term cost savings that various products will provide.