Sub-Zero Refrigerator
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The New Gold Standard
Energy Star is a consumer’s best friend when it comes to resource conservation and energy efficiency.

The German-made Miele Advanta Dishwasher has an emphasis placed on core aspects of product longevity combined with low energy consumption.
The GE Energy Star Side-by-Side Refrigerator offers many features to help maintain foods and save energy.
The GE Profile Dishwasher with SmartDispenseTM Technology holds an entire bottle of liquid automatic dishwasher detergent, dispensing the right amount based on water hardness and soil levels.
The GE Profile Harmony Series washer and dryer are Energy Star-rated and offer the perfect balance of performance, efficiency and convenience for modern households.
Miele's laundry units have advanced features and technologies to thoroughly care
for and extend the life of clothing while respecting the environment.
It’s become habit for millions of people to look for the Energy Star logo when shopping for home appliances, computer equipment, heating and air cooling systems, lighting and electronics. The label is synonymous with energy-friendly products and savings; in 2006 alone, energy-wise homeowners were able to save — with Energy Star’s help — a whopping $14 billion on utility bills.

Now, savvy homeowners are looking for Energy Star-rated new homes and retrofitting existing residences to meet the program’s standards in the quest for energy and environmental conservation. It’s all part of the whole-home package that the wide-reaching, forward-thinking Energy Star program offers to consumers who want to transform their homes into energy workhorses.

Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has, since 1992, identified energy-efficient products and practices to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to products in more than 50 categories, Energy Star also employs assessment tools to help homeowners understand energy deficiencies and solutions in their own homes.

Sharla Riead, owner, and Ken Riead, senior consultant, of Blue Springs-based Hathmore Technologies LLC, acknowledge that the Energy Star program is broad in scope. “It started in the office equipment arena, trying to reduce energy usage in things like computer monitors, copiers and facsimile machines that were dormant at night after being active during the day,” Ken explains. He says manufacturers responded, and research was quickly applied to things like washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerators.

“Essentially the EPA and DOE learned with computers, migrated into appliances and now has programs to certify homes,” he says.

Two areas of the home that benefit from energy savings with appliances featuring the Energy Star stamp of approval are the laundry room and kitchen. Jeannie Nodder, a sales representative with Factory Direct Appliance in Lenexa, says there are both domestic and European washers, dishwashers and refrigerators that feature the ultimate in performance and quality that discerning consumers expect.

The average washing machine that doesn’t pass Energy Star’s strict criteria is an energy glutton, according to Jeannie. “A typical top-loading machine fills up the tub each time you use it, including a rinse cycle,” she says. The average water usage per load for a top-loader is an astounding 40 to 60 gallons, but it takes only 15 to 25 gallons for a front-loading, Energy Star-approved model.

“There are energy-efficient top-loaders without agitators that are gentler on clothes by using the lift-and-drop action of front-loaders. Rather than a washboard effect, this pulls water and soap through fibers,” she says.

Energy Star-rated washers also have much higher spin speeds than normal machines — sometimes between 1,000 and 1,500 RPMs — which help extract more water from clothes. “This translates into only about 20 minutes in the dryer, which saves energy and helps prolong the life of clothes,” Jeannie points out. 

Energy Star-qualified dishwashers use at least 41 percent less energy than the federal minimum standard for consumption and about one-third less water than conventional models. “Usually these dishwashers feature smaller holes in the wash arms, enabling a more concentrated spray to clean dishes, which means less water,” she adds.

Finally, Jeannie says Energy Star refrigerators adapt to the way they’re used. “In other words, if you’re on vacation, the appliance runs less,” she says. Functions like defrosting are customized by electronic controls on Energy Star refrigerators to help reduce freezer burn and ultimately save energy.

In addition to specific products that meet Energy Star requirements, new-build homes can qualify for the Energy Star logo using a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rating process. Companies like Hathmore Technologies partner with Energy Star to perform residential energy audits using HERS.

Sharla says her company’s six certified raters inspect new homes under construction several times. “We conduct a preliminary test on plans prior to construction and then we test the home when the insulation is in place, prior to the drywall and when the home is complete to make sure it doesn’t leak and that the specified systems and appliances have been installed,” she says.

The Rieads say new homes can be designed so that everything — including heating, cooling, appliances, windows, the building structure and ventilation — meets stringent Energy Star standards. 

“Energy Star homes save more energy, are healthier, drier, quieter and more comfortable than conventional homes,” Ken stresses. “There are pockets of Energy Star homes across the country,” he continues, “and a handful of builders in Kansas City who follow the Energy Star guidelines. More people are learning about the environmental, health and financial benefits of qualified homes.”

Existing homes also can achieve Energy Star status through a program offered by the Kansas City Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC). Bob Housh, director of MEC, says Home Performance with Energy Star identifies, through a comprehensive home analysis, specific areas of waste and recommends solutions. “We do real-time analysis of a home’s systems, including things like pressure testing a home’s shell,” Bob says. 

Once a homeowner has an action plan, MEC can put them in touch with energy professionals and contractors certified by the Building Performance Institute to help with decisions about energy improvements.

“Most people associate Energy Star with appliances that have earned the coveted logo through in-lab assessments,” notes Dustin Jensen, program manager at MEC. “We perform a similar task with each home by establishing a base line and then offering a priority list of improvements.” And while existing homes aren’t awarded the Energy Star logo, once they go through the rigorous analysis and the homeowner chooses from the suggested changes, Dustin says that, in essence, the home’s performance is improved.

Bob says that a home’s diagnosis helps the owner eliminate a lot of guessing about what area to improve. “Consumers are overwhelmed by advertising, and sometimes don’t know, for example, that their home’s performance would be improved by extra insulation or window replacement,” he says.

“Once a homeowner goes through an analysis and has a list of measures to take and the cost and the energy savings of those actions, the decisions become clearer,” Dusin concludes.

Ken believes the many aspects of Energy Star, when incorporated in a home as a result of an analysis, can have powerful benefits for homeowners. “In addition to the obvious energy conservation and utility savings, Energy Star can help increase a home’s value,” he says. “It establishes a point-of-difference that’s critical in today’s competitive market.”

Energy-saving tips for your appliances

We’ve all read that individual efforts can help curtail the effects of global warming; in fact, sometimes it’s as simple as changing from conventional light bulbs to CFL bulbs.  When it comes to appliances, the people at Energy Star say that if just one in 10 homes would use Energy Star-rated models, the collective change would be like planting 1.7 million acres of trees. Here are some other tips when it comes to operating standard or Energy Star model kitchen and laundry room appliances.

WASHING MACHINES

*Run full loads for maximum efficiency.
*Wash in cold water.

DISHWASHERS

*Run a full load; while you can’t decrease the amount of water used each cycle, you can get the most from the energy expended to run it.

*Avoid using the heat-dry, rinse-hold and pre-rinse features; instead, use the air dry option.

REFRIGERATORS

*Leave a space between walls or cabinets and the refrigerator to ensure maximum air circulation around the condenser coils and to keep them clean.
*Maintain an even temperature:  35-38 degrees Fahrenheit for the refrigerator and 0 degrees Fahrenheit for the freezer.
*Make sure door seals are airtight.