Energy-Efficient Appliances CutBills And Save The Environment (NAPSA)—You might not think that choosing an energy-efficient appliance would do more than lower your energy bill, but all the energy used by household appliances adds up. In fact, the amount of energy used in your home matters on a larger scale. U.S. households use about one-fifth of the total energy consumed in the nation each year—and the number of home devices requiring electricity con- tinues to grow. “Energy prices are rising and are predicted to increase more in the future. As a result, there is growing interest in energy-effi- cient appliances that can help save money,” said John Farley, senior environmental and brand marketing manager for Bosch homeappliances. Kitchen and laundry appliances alone account for more than 35 percent of home energy use, with refrigerators accounting for approximately 40 percent of that figure. Besides helping Americans to save $17 billion on their utility bills in 2009, the ENERGY STAR program, which promotes the use of energy-efficient appliances, has also reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles. Manufacturing “green” appliances involves many different steps—from using raw nonferrous materials such as steel and glass and minimizing energy, water and material waste in production to reducing energy consumption and harmful emissions resulting from distribution. Yet 90 percent of the environmental impact of appliances comes from their operation in the home. Today’s high-efficiency appliances Shop energy-smart. Energy-sav- ing appliances save consumers money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. are making a measurable difference in conserving energy and water during their life span in the home. For example, the Bosch Vision washing machine uses 61 percent less energy and 64 percent less water than the industry average. The laundry system is one of the reasons that Bosch has been named ENERGY STAR Partnerof the Year for Appliances for two years in a row by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, Bosch is the only U.S. manufac- turer with the ENERGY Star quali- fication on all the dishwashers, clothes washers and refrigerators it makes. For more information, visit www.bosch-home.com/us or connect with them at http:// twitter.com/boschappliances or facebook.com/boschappliances.
