Home appliances take up a lot of energy. Things like refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers, and freezers each use a large amount of electricity. Knowing this, it's important to keep in mind how much energy any appliance will use over its lifetime when deciding which unit to purchase. Thankfully, there are things you can do for many different appliances that help cut back on energy costs, as well as prolong the life of your appliances.

What You Can Do

• When you are shopping for a new appliance, make sure to look for the Energy Star rating label. Energy Star certified products typically exceed the strict energy standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.


• Minimize how often you open and close the refrigerator and freezer doors. Every time the cold air is lost, energy is wasted cooling the system again.


• Keep refrigerators and freezers full. Both operate most efficiently when full and use less energy.


• When doing laundry, always run full loads. Additionally, if you can, use cold water. This saves both electricity and water.


• Make sure that all outside dryer air vents are sealed fully to keep air from escaping.


• Keep condenser coils on your refrigerator and freezer clean to keep the unit fully efficient.


• Always change internal filters when you can, and make sure all air flow vents are clear.


• When buying a water heater, consider a tankless unit as they are 35% to 45% more efficient, and do not run out of hot water.