'Energy Star' label on appliances worth the extra cost

 July 31, 2008

Are Energy Star appliances worth the extra money? My washer and dryer are 19 years old, and I’m thinking of replacing them.

When shopping for any appliance, remember it has two price tags — its purchase price and its lifetime operating costs. Energy Star qualified appliances are designed and built to use between 10 percent to 50 percent less energy than standard models. The money you save on your electric bill typically more than makes up for any difference in the price of the appliance.

“The payback is there for just about every consumer,” said Chris Sewall, sales representative at DeWils in Vancouver. “If you’re doing laundry for two or more people, you’ll easily get your money back. Plus you’ll save wear and tear on your clothes.”

Sewall said the price difference between Energy Star appliances and non-Energy Star models can vary from no difference to a couple hundred dollars. He explained that it depends on how much of a leap in technology manufacturers had to make to meet the Energy Star threshold.

Less energy, less water

Energy Star clothes washers reduce energy use by 50 percent compared with conventional washers and can use between 35 percent and 50 percent less water per load. The washers do not use an agitator to clean clothes. Instead they flip or spin clothes through a stream of water, reducing the amount of hot water used and the energy to heat it.

Sewall said the spin cycles on these washers can reach 1,400 revolutions per minute, extracting a lot more water from wet clothes, which also means less time in the dryer.

“On average you’re saving a half hour a load of drying time with towels or jeans,” he said. “Most of these washers require the same amount of time to wash a load as to dry a load, saving time.”

Clothes dryers are not rated as Energy Star. The U.S. Department of Energy found that dryers do not vary significantly in terms of energy use, so use common sense when operating them. Dry full loads, use the moisture sensor setting if your dryer has one and remove clothes promptly when dry. Or, avoid using the dryer altogether and line dry clothes when possible.

The benefits of using Energy Star appliances go beyond your power bill. If just one in 10 homes used Energy Star appliances, the environmental benefit would be like planting 1.7 million new acres of trees to offset carbon dioxide emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

To help offset the additional cost, Clark Public Utilities offers a $50 instant rebate on Energy Star qualified clothes washers purchased from a participating Clark County retailer.