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AppliancesEnergy Efficient Products And Appliances  The average home actually causes more air pollution than the average car. This is because much of the energy we use in our homes comes from power plants, which burn fossil fuel to power our electric products. Burning fossil fuels causes air pollution and contributes to smog, acid rain and global warming. Saving energy saves you money. By using energy-efficient products, the average household can save up to $400 per year on utility bills. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy estimates that if each of us increases the energy-efficiency in our major appliances by 10 - 30%, we'll decrease the demand for electricity by the equivalent of 25 large power plants! How To Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEE) is a great web site when comparing the energy consumption of home appliances and electronics. Lonnie Gamble used this web site to find a $300 refrigerator that uses about the same amount of electricity (an Avanti that uses less than .8kwh/day) as the $2,000 high efficiency Sunfrost. The only problem with this site is that the recommendations tend to be for last year's models. The models they recommend sometimes aren't available in the current year, but you can often find the equivalent replacement. Home appliances look pretty much the same on the outside, but they vary greatly in terms of energy-efficiency and operating costs. The more energy-efficient an appliance is, the less it costs to run. You can lower your utility bill and help protect the environment. Here are a few simple steps to follow when shopping for energy-efficient appliances:
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