Energy Star Qualified, what does it mean?

For some time now, the Energy Star logo has been appearing on appliances certified as Energy Star Qualified. And if you are in the market for a new appliance, there is a good chance you will do a little reseach into purchasing an Energy Star Qualified model. But, how many of us actually know what that means?

According to EnergyStar.gov, this is some of the criteria used for choosing qualified products:

• Product categories must contribute significant energy savings nationwide
• Product performance and features must be demanded by consumers, in addition to having increased energy efficiency
• If the product is more expensive than a less-efficient model, purchasers must be able to recover the added cost through utility bill savings, in a reasonable amount of time
• The energy consumption and performance must be capable of being measured and verified with testing
  
  

While fairly understandable, for the average consumer, this is what really matters. Different appliances have different qualification thresholds. For refrigerators, a 20% reduction in energy over other models is required. Dishwashers must use 5.8 gallons of water or less per cycle, compared to older models using 8 gallons or more. Clothes washers also need to use 30% less energy and 50% less water to operate. Water coolers use about half the energy of standard models. Ovens, microwaves, ranges and clothes dryers do not qualify for an Energy Star rating.

Energy Star Qualified appliances will definitely lower your utility costs, but the real savings is in the replacement of older energy guzzling models. For example, if you replace a refrigerator made before 1993, the energy savings on that appliance could be up to 50%. Energy Star Qualified products are usually priced a little higher than non-qualified models, but the reduction in energy usage usually balances out the cost. In addition, most major appliance brands and even the federal government offer significant rebates for Energy Star Qualified appliances.

Now that we are all trying to go a little more "green", perhaps it's time to make the Energy Star Qualified switch when purchasing a new appliance.