Basic EnergyStar...Refrigerators

I actually think Cash For Clunkers is a good idea. Old appliances use a ton of energy, especially refrigerators and washing machines.

For example, lets look at this basic 21 cubic foot $500 refrigerator.



Using average utility rates (then double it if you are in Massachusetts)...Your ten year old refrigerator will cost about $130-160 a year to run.

How about the EnergyStar...



$100 a year in savings...easily.

EnergyStar $169 Rebates

Quick review then a question:

Replacing a 10 year old refrigerator with an EnergyStar will save $100-110 per year...

Replacing a 20 year old refrigerator with an EnergyStar will save $200-250 per year...

Piece of advice: Your second refrigerator...remove it.


Now the question: What does the SubZero built in, GE french door, Frigidaire top mount and Bosch side by side have in common:



They all have $169 instant rebates as a joint venture between Yale, NSTAR and National Grid.

Why You Don't Buy Green

I think Green is important. We only have one Earth, but people are not buying Green products as once expected. Recession is a reason. People just do not have extra money.

The payback also needs to be clarified. In the example below, we have two undercounter lights. There is $100 dollars between LED and standard halogen.

The LED is cooler, has a 20 year lamp life, versus 7 months for incandescent, and is 90% more efficient. You probably still see $100.

Now look again:




You see a 4 year payback and a benefit to the environment...not including trips for burnt out bulbs, the heat which turns on you HVAC system and several other microbenefits....

4 Ways to Improve EnergyStar

Channel 5 was in the store, and did an expose on EnergyStar(TV does add 10-15 pounds, have a look below). First I like EnergyStar. They have created awareness to saving money through lower energy costs:

Here is a plan for improvement in my opinion

1. Standards should be a moving target. Products should continue to improve efficiency to be called EnergyStar

2. Manufacturers should publish regional costs

3. The products should be tested at full operating power

4. No legacy products allowed. In other words, products should not be EnergyStar simply because they have improved over last year

Cut and paste...

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/18901220/index.html

Energy Efficiency Presentation

I was asked to do a presentation on Energy efficiency appliances last night. It never ceases to amaze me how much an appliance from just 10 years ago costs to operate versus today.

Anyway, the following is the powerpoint from last night.

A couple caveats:

First, I realize that noiseless dishwashers and glass top ranges are not new, but they are to people who have not replaced their products in 40 years.

Secondly: The Subzero has a yellow energy tag of 58 dollars to operate. The energy stickers are actually from 2001 on all the products. With 2008 electrical rates, it is about $120 and a 10 year old product would be about $240.

Third: This was a 15 minute presentation without discussing bulbs. I can drone on for hours if asked....

Energy Efficiency...Part 9

Have a gander at this refrigerator...



The SubZero Pro 48 is the most expensive refrigerator to operate. But how expensive?



If you are reading this and have a 10 year old (family size) refrigerator, this beast is $75-100 cheaper to operate.

Short Cycles

Following is the new Electrolux laundry. It is twice bigger than a top loader at 4.7 cubic feet and uses 1/3 the water. This machine has incredibly intuitive controls as well as LED lighting inside the unit.


But how long is a regular cycle?





18 minutes wash, 18 minutes dry......or about a hour less than a regular machine.

Culprits...Number 3

I once had an interesting cab ride. The cabbie basically told me about how disappointing his old refrigerator was, because it died after 11 years. Meanwhile his cab lasts 4 years and works 10 hours a day. The refrigerator runs 24 hours a day and lasts 3 times longer.

His math still puzzles me...(along with the subject of the conversation)


The simple math behind operating an eleven year old refrigerator is $198/year: 18 cents per hour, the current NSTAR rate, times operating cost or 1100 kilowatt per hours.

The newer units are much more efficient and cost about $81/year: the same 18 cents times only 450 kilowatts per hour.

With price hikes expected in energy, a new refrigerator will save the average consumer between $120 to $150 per year

Saving Green

So we are planning a new store. We have been a 1 store shop since 1923, so thinking about a new one is not part of our DNA. Here is the process:

1. Hire architects
2. Hire retail analysts to understand your brand
3. Go out to different stores to see what is applicable
4. Have 12 meetings(and arguments) to build a prototype
5. Hire builder for preconstruction estimates
6. More meetings regarding costs

You have a higher appreciation of Green when you realize the costs of electricity and HVAC. We are now hiring a Green architect to assess the cost savings of wind and solar, but the biggest savings is a product in stock...Any Guesses?





LED and compact fluorescent can decrease the electrical load by 60-80%. It will also detract from the associated costs to HVAC, as incandescent will heat to 300 degrees and LED does not add heat.

I have written about the advantages to LED (20 year life, good lumen output, 80% cost savings), but the payback in my opinion is only justifiable in the long term. For consumers renovating or building, the payback is much shorter when you factor the associated costs to conventional products.

Mercury and You

I had to leave town unexpectedly, but will be back on Monday with new stuff...Here is an earlier post.

In an earlier post, I described how to handle a broken fluorescent bulb. My response was based on that story in Maine where a bulb broke, and they called a Hazmat squad. I honestly believe fluorescent bulbs and LEDs will save the individual consumer considerable amounts of money.

Mercury, however, is a poison and fluorescent bulbs do contain trace levels of Mercury. Of course, as you are reading this, you probably have trace levels of mercury in your body....They are called fillings. (I just went to the dentist this morning.)

Seriously, read this post and buy the bulbs for general task lighting to save money, energy and the environment.



Couldn't resist

Another Great Deal?

I have started watching this website called GardenWeb. Yes, it is about gardening, but they also have a significant home improvement section with peer to peer reviews including a significant feature on appliances and lighting.

One of the posts was dedicated to the best appliance values. The person posting was talking about her parents refrigerator and how it lasted for 58 years. My feelings about this are mixed. First, I hate to throw anything of value away.

However, a refrigerator purchased today uses 50% less electricity than similar products from less than 15 years ago. A 58 year old refrigerator probably costs about $400-500 a year to operate versus $50-60 for a similar unit purchased today. Antiquated technologies in general like incandescent bulbs and top load laundry are probably costing the individual consumer hundreds of dollars a year every year.

But lets look at something new....What do these refrigerators have in common?



Yes they are Energystar, but there are instant rebates of $75 to 100 on all GE, Maytag, JennAir, Whirlpool and KitchenAid french door and side by side refrigeration.

The Green Kitchen....Almost Done

I love big sales events. All the projects for Innovation 08 have to be completed by Friday at 5 PM, so it is fun to watch the mad scramble. Although we have revamped 3 displays, hung about 75 new fixtures and added about 40 new appliances, my favorite is this Green Kitchen.

Have a look:



I like it, because the lighting creates the environment. The bamboo pendants look great and they use 13 watt fluorescent bulbs. The recessed is 12 watt LED instead of 100 watt incandescent. This Boston kitchen dispels the notion that fluorescent is ugly or LED is too dim. To encourage people to embrace this new technology, we will be selling any fluorescent or LED product at 10% off this weekend.

Just for fun...Look at this kitchen in stages.

The Green Kitchen Stage 2

Look at this almost completed kitchen. As I have said
in previous posts, this will be a totally Green kitchen....But what is involved for a kitchen to be called Green?

Lets look:



Counters: Marble chip or recycled marble.



Tile: Actually recycled sea glass.



Cabinets: MDF particle board with a wood laminate front...Looks pretty good.



Floor: Bamboo..as I have said in the last post bamboo is sustainable and grows back in about a year.

Appliances: Bosch Energystar

Lights: When installed, the fluorescent pendants and LED undercabinet lights will emit about 50 watts...Not bad when you consider the incandescent equivalent will be about 600 watts.

EnergyStar Laundry

My racquetball partner, Alex, believes our next economic boom will happen when we become energy independent. He mentioned the cost of gas, etc.

My position on Green products is simple. Consumers will buy Green if there is an advantage or payback. In my opinion, people will not spend exorbitant amounts of money just being Green. Then again, he did beat me in racquetball, so I could be wrong...

The textbook example of Green products with almost immediate payback is laundry..Energy efficient, specifically front load laundry is the best residential investment....The average front loader is 40% larger, uses between 25-30 gallons less water and at least half the energy... In other words, you wash more clothes yet use less water and energy...

Which brings me to the question...What do these front loaders from Bosch, Maytag and Frigidaire have in common?

Odd Green facts

I met with some Bosch marketing people on Tuesday. Sat through roughly 100 slides of information. 4 were interesting. Then again, they were very interesting. Bosch is a great brand for energy efficiency, and this will be their big push in the future.

The slides summarize the environmental payback of buying Green. For the Boston market, the MWRA/ Boston clean up insures that we pay the highest water/sewarge rates in the country. The payback monetarily on a washer is probably $300 per year in water, electricity and reduced drying time at least.

Some other eyepopping facts:

Energy Efficiency Part 1 Dishwashers

It was 68 in Boston yesterday and almost 60 today. Both are highs for this time of year. In my humble opinion, its a rather ominous sign of Global Warming and all the problems associated with nature out of balance. It really does not have to be this bad. At Yale, we have The Green Project, which basically is a buying guide of the most efficient appliances and how to use them. We would save a ton of energy just by operating our appliances differently.

The following few entries will be dedicated to Energy Saving tips. Then we will list the most efficient models.

First blog: Dishwasher Tips

1. Avoid using the Heated Dry option: Use Air dry and Somat or Jet Dry to aid condensation especially on metallic surfaces. Interestingly enough, Bosch and Miele do not offer a heated dry option on most of their dishwashers.

2.Run your Dishwasher with a full load: Most of the energy goes to heat the water. Since you cannot decrease the amount of water per cycle, fill your dishwasher to get the most from the energy used to run it.

3.Don't Pre-Rinse your dishes: Just scrape off the food and let the dishwasher do the rest. If you are a habitual rinser, then use cold water.

4. Do not hand wash: It uses 25 gallons or 2 and one half times a pots and pans cycle when the tap is half open.

5. Look for the Energystar label: Estar qualified dishwashers use 25% less energy than regular dishwashers.


These are easy changes. Try them. If you know of any other energy savings tips or suggestions, then please email me at steve.sheinkopf@yaleappliance.com

The Green Project At Yale..."Saving money and the environment one product at a time"