Deciphering Energy Guide Lingo (NAPSA)—Goneare the days when the only thing you needed to know about buying a new appliance was whether harvest gold or avocado best matched your dcor. Today’s appliance shoppers have a laundrylist of facts to consider. Due to rising energy costs and shortages, an appliance’s energy efficiency is a deciding fac- Based on standard U.S. Governmenttests 1 Clothes Washer Capacity: Standard GUIDE Model(s) MAYTAG MAH5500B Compare the Energy Use of this Clothes Washer with Others Before You Buy. tor for many shoppers. Some appliance manufacturers have reengineered their products to provide better energy savings. For This Model Uses 302 kWh/year Vv we ENERGY STAR A symbolof Gon ffent energy efficiency example, the new Energy Star- rated Maytag Neptune washer requires half the energy of older models andstill delivers superior cleaning results. Although the facts and figures Energy use (kWh/year) range of all similar models Uses Most Uses Least Energy Energy 1298 177 to assess the energy savings of a KWh/year(kilowatt-hours per year) is a measure of energy(electricity) use. Your utility company usesit to compute yourbill. Only standard size clothes washers displayed, understanding them are usedin this scale. new appliance are prominently requires a quick lesson in energy lingo. More than 20 years ago, the U.S. government implemented a program to make it easy for consumers to take one look at an appliance and assess its energy efficiency. This treasure trove of information is a bright yellow and black Energy Guide stickeraffixed to refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, dishwashers, clothes washers, central and room air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces and boilers. It doesn’t tell consumers what to buy, but provides unbiased facts to make an informedchoice. Let’s say your trusty washing machine has spun its last spin cycle. Your neighborhood appliance store offers rows of sparkling Clothes washers using more energy cost more to operate. This model's estimated yearly operating costis: 4B When used with an electric water heater Below the line are two additional numbers showing two anonymous appliances. They represent the lowest and highest energy users in the clothes washercategory. Energy is measuredin kilowatt hours (kWh), which is equal to 1,000 watt hours. It takes 1 kWh to cook a pot of rice for an hour. On average, American households step-by-step translation: general appliance category. explains you can expect to pay to blur together. You walk up to a sleek looking Maytag Neptune high-efficiency washer and read the Energy Guide label. Here’s a 1. This is an overview of the 2. This string of numbers is the manufacturer’s model number. 3. Here’s the most important, but most confusing, information. The thick black line in the center is a scale representing how much electricity is needed to power different washer models. The number above the line shows how much energy the Maytag Neptune uses. $11 Whenused with a natural gas water heater Based on eight loads of clothes a week and a 2000 U.S. Government national average cost of 8.03 per kWhfor electricity and 68.8 per therm for natural gas. Your actual operating cost will vary depending on your localutility rates and your use of the product. use approximately 10,000 kWh per year. The Maytag Neptune requires 302 kWh/year, which is 77 percent less energy than the most energy hungry model, which draws 1,298 kWh/year. 4, In this section, we’re down to new machines, but soon they start —3 dollars and cents. This section approximately $24 annually to power the Neptune. For some appliances, like clothes washers, the Energy Guide will provide figures for both electric and gas models. When thinking about the annual expense of an appliance, another icon to look for is the Energy Star logo. Created by the U.S. Department of Energy and @ the U.S. Environmental Protec- tion Agency, the Energy Star logo is awarded to products that exceed federal energy conserva- tion requirements. For clothes washers, the appliance must use 50 to 70 percent less energy than conventional models. The logo can be seen on everything from computer monitors to refrigerators andlight bulbs to windows. The type of conservation benefits an energy-efficient appliance provides add up to more than energy savings. Your utility bills shrink, too. The Maytag Neptune is designed to conserve 65 percent of the energy and 40 percent of the water when compared to tra- ditional top-loading washing machines. These savings can add up to $100 a year in energy and watercosts. Armed with an understanding of the Energy Guide lingo, you’re now ready to take a savvy look at new appliances and makechoices that are not only smart for you, but the environmenttoo.
