This fact sheet provides guidelines for selecting and maintaining major energy-efficient home appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers, ovens and ranges, dishwashers, and clothes washers and dryers. Topics covered include purchasing considerations and maintenance recommendations for each appliance type, as well as a section on “phantom loads,” or the energy many appliances continue to draw even after they have been turned off.
Cost of Appliances
The lifecycle cost of an appliance is the purchase price plus the cost to operate and maintain it over its lifetime. The reduced operating cost of a more energy-efficient appliance is often sufficient to quickly pay back its higher initial cost.
Selecting Energy Efficient Appliances
This fact sheet offers homeowners and builders have several recommendations to consider when purchasing an energy-efficient appliance, such as selecting Energy Star models and appliances that are the appropriate size for the home and the owner’s needs. Other considerations include choosing gas appliances instead of electric (gas clothes dryers and ovens and ranges are less expensive to operate), and appliances with increased insulation, such as self-cleaning ovens and chest freezers, which do not require as much energy.
Maintaining Energy-Efficient Appliances
Maintenance guidelines vary by appliance. For example, users should regulate the temperature inside refrigerators and freezers and keep coils clean; use cold water with clothes washers; and clean the lint filter often in clothes dryers.
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Energy
4 pages