|
ENERGY TIMES
Energy Excellence…
…Michigan
ENERGY STAR® Promotion Project…
("Energy
Excellence" is underwritten by a grant from the
Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services,
Energy Office, for the Michigan ENERGY STAR® Promotion
Project. The Project is operated by the Small Business
Association of Michigan and its program partners including
the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, Michigan
Association of Conservation Districts, Michigan Interfaith
Power and Light, Mid Michigan Environmental Action Council,
Oakland Community College Environmental Systems Technology,
Urban Options, and the West Michigan Environmental Action
Council. Energy Excellence is written by Mark
H. Clevey, Director, Michigan ENERGY STAR® Promotion
Project, Douglas Black, Urban Options and guests. For
information on the Michigan ENERGY STAR® Promotion
Project please see: www.sbam.org/resource/energystar/home.html)
ENERGY
STAR Appliances
The ENERGY STAR® program is a registered trademark
and was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency to indicate that a product exceeds the minimum
Federal energy use standards or uses less energy than
similar products. ENERGY STAR® products have high
performance, long life and low environmental impact
as well as save money through lower maintenance and
utility costs over the life of the products.
Energy that is wasted by inefficient products is particularly
insidious. Wasted energy not only pollutes our air,
water and land and negatively impacts our health, it
subsidizes the importation of oil from countries that
are openly contemptuous of our history, economy, constitution,
democratic system of government, Bill of Rights, quality
of life, religious and spiritual values. In this issue
of Energy Excellence, we will focus on
how ENERGY STAR® appliances can help Michigan consumers
reduce both the amount of energy they waste and the
amount of money they spend on energy.
Dehumidifiers - ENERGY STAR® qualified dehumidifiers
operate at least 10% more efficiently than standard
models. Dehumidifiers help remove excess moisture from
basements and other damp areas of the home. ENERGY STAR®
qualified dehumidifiers provide enhanced moisture removal
as well as quiet operation, reliability, and durability.
An ENERGY STAR® qualifying dehumidifier can save
a Michigan homeowner as much as $840 over the 12-year
lifetime of their dehumidifier.
Room Air Conditioners - Air conditioners that
have earned the ENERGY STAR® label use at least
10% less energy than conventional models. Moreover,
Thinking that a larger air conditioner means more cooling
power, customers often buy a unit that is too large
for the space they wish to cool. (Check the ENERGY STAR®
Web site to determine which unit best meets your needs).
Replacing a 10-year old room air conditioner with a
new ENERGY STAR® qualified model can save up to
$35 annually on a customer's electricity bill.
Dishwashers
- Just as turning off the light when you leave a room
can save energy, turning down the thermostat on your
water heater can do the same. An ENERGY STAR® qualified
dishwasher allows customers to turn down the thermostat
of their water heaters from 140 to 120 degrees because
water heaters inside the dishwasher boost the water
temperature. By lowering the temperature of the water
heater, customers can prevent unexpected scald burns
in the kitchen or bath. This extra feature also reduces
heating costs up to 10 percent. ENERGY STAR® qualified
dishwashers use up to 25% less energy than the federal
minimum standard for energy consumption. Replacing a
10-year old dishwasher with an ENERGY STAR® labeled
dishwasher can save a customer more than $30 a year
in energy costs. The energy you save every year by purchasing
an ENERGY STAR® qualified dishwasher is enough to
brew nearly 9,000 cups of coffee. If every household
in Michigan replaced their ten year old clothes washer
with a new ENERGY STAR® qualifying model, the annual
savings would be 905 million kWh/year, 77.6 million
therms/year, and 36.9 billion gallons of water per year.
That is enough energy saved to light a city the size
of Lansing for 13.3 years and enough water saved for
every Michigan resident to take 150 showers.
Clothes Washers - ENERGY STAR® qualified
clothes washers use an average of 50% less energy and
40% less water than conventional washers. In one year,
ENERGY STAR® qualified clothes washers can save
between $25 and $125 on your customer's energy bill
depending on your customer's water heater type and utility
rates, between $20 and $35 on the water bill, and an
average of 8,560 gallons of water every year. Depending
on utility rates, total utility savings range from $65
to $160/year. ENERGY STAR® qualified washers also
remove more moisture from clothes, which reduces drying
time. A shorter drying time means even greater energy
savings. Meanwhile, the water a customer saves every
year by purchasing a new ENERGY STAR® qualified
clothes washer over another model is enough to do 12
month's worth of laundry. Designs used in ENERGY STAR®
qualified washers also cause less wear and tear on clothes,
which means that clothes last longer.
Refrigerators - Refrigerators use the most energy
of any home appliance. A new ENERGY STAR® qualified
refrigerator, however, uses less energy than a 75-watt
light bulb left on for one year. To save money and energy,
Sears' customers can purchase an energy-efficient ENERGY
STAR® labeled refrigerator, which are an average
of 40% more efficient than conventional models sold
in 2001. Replacing a 10-year old refrigerator with an
ENERGY STAR® qualified model can cut a customer's
electricity bill by $25-$60 a year, depending on utility
rates. If every household in Michigan replaced their
ten year old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR®
qualifying model, the annual savings would be 1.3 billion
kWh/year. That is enough electricity saved to light
the city of Lansing for 19.3 years.
The
Michigan ENERGY STAR® Promotion Project features
a "store locater" that can help consumers
identify the closest retail source for a given ENERGY
STAR® rated product. To access the store locator
please see: www.sbam.org/resource/energystar/home.html.
©
Copyright, 2003. All Rights Reserved. Energy Excellence
is a publication of the Small Business Association of
Michigan, ENERGY STAR Promotion Project and is underwritten
by a grant from the Michigan Department of Consumer
and Industry Services, Energy Office. Questions or comments
should be directed to: Mark H. Clevey, Director, SBAM
ENERGY STAR Promotion Project, (800) 362-5461.
>
Top
Great
Lakes Renewable Energy Association
URL: www.glrea.org
Email: info@glrea.org
Lansing:
(517) 646.6269
Toll Free:
1.800.434.9788
Join GLREA
Go to our membership
area and find out how you can join GLREA!
Contact GLREA
Feel free to contact
us if you have any additional questions or comments.
GLREA
is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and contributions
may be tax deductable.
|
