According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), since 1980 appliances have improved in energy efficiency by 30 percent to 90 percent because of changing government standards. Compared to a 1980 appliance, a new refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, clothes washer, or room air conditioner can save between $25 and $90 a year on your energy bill. In 2001, new standards went into effect; a 201/2cubic-foot refrigerator with a top-mounted freezer now uses the same amount of energy as a 50-watt light bulb that’s left on for a 24 hour day, according to AHAM.
What is it that makes the new luxury more efficient? In some cases its improved motors, compressors, and insulation (refrigerators and air conditioners); in others it's better spray arms, filtering systems, and more wash and rinse options, so you use less hot water. Appliance manufacturers today also offer some unique technologies--for instance, ovens that cook food in half the normal time using techniques like halogen lighting, and washers that have no agitators, but instead a moving wash plate that bounces and lifts the load. According to the Department of Energy and to manufacturers, such washers use about 40 percent less water and are twice as efficient as earlier models.
If you're going to purchase a new appliance, you'll get the best deal by replacing the biggest energy users, such as refrigerators. (Be sure to check with your local utility to see if they offer rebates, too.) One way to find out how much energy your old appliance eats up is to measure it with a wattage meter, such as Watts Up by Electronic Educational Devices ($96; 303/282-6410 or http://www.doubleed.com).
Another approach--a less expensive one--is to make the inefficient motors in older, energy-hogging appliances run cooler and quieter. Gadgets like the EnergySmart Power Planner by CEM Industries (from $37; 800/808-8897 or http://www.energysmart.com), which decreases the amount of current used by the appliance, can help you accomplish this. Choose the 8-, 10-, or 20-amp model, depending on the amperage rating of your appliance motor. Plug the Power Planner into the wall socket and plug the appliance into it.
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