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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters replace one outdated appliance with an Energy Star version, in a year we'll save a collective $800,000 on our energy bills.
COCKTAIL FACT
In a Pew Research Center survey, Americans rated clothes washers and dryers as the top can't-live-without appliances, followed by A/C.
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home › tip library › Appliance Replacement
Does your clothes dryer need life-support?
The Bite
Repair man - stat! But wait: Before ringing up your favorite fix-it guy, you should know that you can save energy and cash if you replace certain outdated, energy-sucking, water-wasting appliances with newer Energy Star appliances. Get your diagnosis here.The Benefits
- Oxygen therapy. If just 1 in 10 U.S. homes used Energy Star-qualified appliances, it'd be equivalent to planting 1.7 mil acres of trees, thanks to less pollution.
- More money for doctors' bills. Repairs should cost less than half of the price of a new appliance; otherwise, it's usually more cost-effective to replace them. And thanks to new energy and water standards, new appliances may save you money on bills.
- Bandaging sometimes works. If getting more energy-efficient isn't in the budget this time around, at least you'll send less stuff to the landfill.
Personally Speaking
When Jen replaced her 20-yr-old kitchen appliances last year, she couldn't find the Energy Star 'fridge she wanted in her price range. But she did choose one with a bottom freezer - a more energy-efficient config than side-by-side models.Wanna Try?
What you should repair:- Clothes Dryers - replace pre-1994 models, but as long as you don't overdry, it's more cost-effective to just repair.
- Ovens - repair, but note for ranges: If you are buying new anyway, go with gas, not electric (it'll cut stove-cooking costs in half).
What you should replace:
- A/Cs - Energy Star room A/Cs use at least 10% less energy than conventional models.
- Clothes Washers - if replacing, consider an Energy Star top-loader or front-loader model to cut energy and water use by over 40%.
- Dishwashers - Energy Star dishwashers use a lot less H2O and at least 41% less energy than the federal minimum standard.
- Refrigerators - Energy Star-qualified fridges use at least 15% less energy than the current federal standard. And refrigerators with top-mounted freezers use about 20% less energy than side-by-side models.
- Small Electronics - these aren't Energy Star-certified, and repairing often costs more than 50% of the price for new, so usually it's better just to replace (but be sure to recycle the parts).
- Water Heaters - Energy Star also doesn't yet certify these, but new gas (not electric) water heaters save major energy; just set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees F or lower. Or go tankless to save 45%-60% on water heating energy.
- Energy Star At-Home - great tool that helps you find ways to save energy at home.
- Yelp - search and get user reviews for repair shops in your 'hood.
- Earth911 - find a local spot to recycle your electronics waste.
- ARCA, CSG, and JACO - services in a few states will pick up and recycle your old fridge, freezer, and/or A/C (and you might even make some cash).
- RepairClinic - DIY tips for repairing home appliances.
Statistics reviewed by Energy Star Communications Specialist Denise Durrett.
Feb 25,2008
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Vintage Wedgewood Stove
I have a vintage Wedgewood stove in my kitchen. Since the griddle part of the stove has a pilot light that is so excited it will burn your hand if you don't wipe down the griddle carefully, and since the oven part is almost always warm to the touch, I'm quite sure that I am wasting more energy than I save by driving a Prius (which is in the shop, since it's only getting me 27 mpg these days. Grr.).
But I love love love that stove. It is the centerpiece of my kitchen and was one of the things that made me fall head over heels for the house. I can't get rid of it.
Maybe I should see about turning down those pilot lights, though.
-Heather... off to price out high-efficiency washers...
Biter Comments...
Instead of repairing or replacing your clothes dryer, why not give it up all together? In Australia, where I live, most people do not own clothes dryers. We hang clothes outside when we can, inside when we can't, and use a Laundromat when we are desperate. I've survived 10 years here without one, even with a baby and all the extra laundry that goes with it.
Not only do you save money and emissions by not using the dryer, but your clothes also last longer - saving you more money and helping the environment yet again.
If you're not willing to give up the dryer then at least try using it less, especially in summer!
Cheers, Annie
www.anniesorganicbaby.blogspot.com
I have been living quite nicely withut a clothes dryer. I use an organic biodegradable fabric softener that smells so lovely during the rinse cycle. Then its the old foldable wooden rack and the wheeled clothes rod with hangers out on the screened in porch. In the most frigid temps, it all comes inside and then easily folds up or breaks down for times when I want them out of the way. This summer, I'll set up a clothes line in the back yard.
While gas stoves may be able to cook faster, the gas fumes can be a bad contributor to indoor air quality. Besides that, if buy renewable energy, such as solar, winde, etc., running an electric stove is more efficient! No natural resources used! Plus newer induction style electric cooktops, can heat up just as fast as gas, and much safer to operate! Electric VS Gas? Electric wins hands down.
What seems sadly missing from today's tip is the discussion of how much energy goes into making a new appliance! What happens to your old stove, or A/C, or fridge, or Washer and Dryer when you just throw them out? They say by buying a car, you have already used as much energy (to produce the car) as the car will use in it's lifetime, hybrids excepted. We should all be mindful of the fact that so many of our household items end up in the trash heap. Not to say that energy efficiency isn't prime, but that we need to weigh the costs and benefits of buying something new.
Please!! recommend solar panels or windmill to power electric instead of switching to gas powered anything.
Pictures, please?
I really don't have anything cool to say about how to be green to make up for it or any anger against gas powered appliances, but I love antiques and am curious about what your stove looks like.
Our household of three has cut down dryer time dramatically by hanging our clothes to dry in our bedroom - they dry in less than a day. An added feature is that these clothes add to the humidity level of the room, which is a good thing in dry Missoula, Montana. The only drawback is that the dog and cat hair that a dryer removes is not removed, but our washer (front-loading).
I have to second Mark's comment- it looks you somewhat considered the lifecycle assessment of a few appliances, but it stopped a little short. One of my favorite quotes: "Our addiction isn't to oil, it is to consumption." I love ideal bite but wish that 99% of the tips weren't geared towards consumption.
I just wanted to back up the comments of other readers - with our current consumption of fossil fuels and everything else in general, it's time to start suggesting that we don't power any of our appliances with gas. We should also consider not owning and using so many appliances (I didn't buy a dryer when I bought my house) and when we do buy new ones, consider their lifecycle and environmental costs. Twenty year old appliances may seem ancient but they'll be around a lot longer than we are!
Lina, the truly sad thing is not that our appliances will outlive us, but also practically everything else that we buy.
according to the Story of Stuff (www.storyofstuff.com), something like 99% of all the stuff we buy is thrown away inside of 6 months.
consumption is killing us!
Ditto the comments above about living without a drier. We **couldn't find and energy star drier** and apparently they don't exist because they're such energy hogs. So, we saved several hundred dollars by not buying a drier, period, and picking up an inexpensive nifty retractable indoor clothes line, instead. We need to plan ahead when it comes to having that shirt ready for the big day we're giving a presentation at work, or not running out of clean underwear, but who said being green would always be convenient?
The tip says to buy gas ovens, not electric because of the stove top. What about dual-fuel? Gas on stove top, electric in the oven? Is that any better?
I have the same love/hate relationship with my wonderful 1951 Wedgewood stove. It is the reason I fell head over heals for our home as well. It cooks like a dream and I just can't part with it. All my other appliances are very energy efficient - so maybe that balances things a bit.
Sabina
http://barefootintheorchard.blogspot.com/
Does anyone know if it is cheaper in the long run to buy your own washer or use laundromats? Its a common debate between my parents; my mother says having one is cheaper, my father disagrees. I'm just wondering if it is worth buying one, and what kind I should get.
Heather, are you sure you don't mean a vintage GLENwood stove? Wedgewood is a make of china. I guess there may have been a stovemaker called Wedgewood, it's just that I've never heard of it.
Hmmm, I guess I'm saving quite a bit of energy. I don't have a water heater (my water is heated directly by my oil burner), or a clothes dryer, an air conditioner, or a dishwasher, and I've switched six of my most-used light bulbs to CFs.
Sorry, but I would NEVER use natural gas voluntarily. Have you ever heard of electricity exploding? Natural gas is WAY too volatile. I'm scared to death of it!
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Posted by: Dina Buagas Gesulga | February 25, 2008 at 03:16 AM