Green Options » appliances

$3 Billion For Energy Efficiency in California

Susan Kraemer — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:02:02 +0000

The CPUC has just approved the largest energy efficiency program in U.S. history, authorizing $3.1 billion in consumer rebates and efficiency programs over the next three years, bringing the state closer to implementing AB32, according to Lara Ettenson, director of California Energy Efficiency Policy at the NRDC.

Ettenson told me that the funding comes from the part of the budget that California’s regulated utilities may use to invest in conventional electricity. This may include “negawatts”or energy efficiency measures. This is not just cheaper than building new plants and transmission, but also easier to implement, as it is not subject to the NIMBYism and transmission issues that has impeded development of utility scale solar and wind projects that California utilities must add to meet RPS requirements of getting 20% of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2010. Currently it is at 14%.

This giant leap in funding could jump-start the new low-carbon economy in California; helping grow all the businesses that create cutting edge efficiency in cooling and heating, lighting, building materials, windows, insulation, appliances and smart grid technologies that reduce energy use.

Ettenson gave me some examples of uses for the funding in practical terms:

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Green Talk Radio: Energy Efficient Products with ENERGY STAR

Sean Daily — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:00:59 +0000

Sean Daily, Green Living Ideas‘ Editor-In-Chief, talks about efficient ENERGY STAR products and the Change a Light Campaign with Wendy Reed, Campaign Manager for ENERGY STAR.

[Courtesy of our friends at GreenLivingIdeas.com]

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“Cash for Refrigerators” Debuts in Fall. Really.

Joe Walsh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:11:30 +0000

Before heading home to face the anger at the now infamous health care “town halls,” Congress rushed through an extension to what was then considered a popular program: Cash for Clunkers. Then, like much of the August break, Cash for Clunkers went sideways as critics picked apart the program’s weaknesses, consumers stopped showing up with so many clunkers, and dealers started making noise about something as simple as when they might actually get the rebate money that the government promised.

So, what do you do when you have a poorly-conceived and ill-managed project winding down (Clunkers expires at 8 p.m. EST on August 24)? Kick off another one, even more poorly thought out, and gloss it with an equally catchy name: Cash for Refrigerators.

Beginning in the fall, consumers will have access—through existing state-level energy efficiency incentive programs —$300 million in stimulus funds made available as rebates for energy efficient appliances.

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Saving Energy Means Saving Money: DOE Offers Rebates for Energy Efficiency

Ruedigar Matthes — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:27:14 +0000

In an effort to feed two children with the same bottle, the Obama administration has created a rebate program that has potential to affect the average Joe and Jane. The nation has stumbled forward, carrying the weight of the struggling economy on one leg and the weight of energy concerns on the other; but the current administration hopes to change that.

It is hope of recovery, of success, of change that prompted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. And it is that same hope that has created a sub-program within the Recovery Act; a program that will encourage energy efficiency while putting money back into the hands of the people.

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The Twelve Days of sustainablog: Urban Homesteading, Green Colleges, and Recycling by the Numbers

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:44:15 +0000

Dog days of August? Not at sustainablog!

While most people are wondering if the summer heat is ever going to end, we were hitting our stride here: many more posts, and much more variety. Perhaps it was the cool breeze created by fingers flying across the keyboard…

August 2008

Kelli Best-Oliver reported on a couple of bloggers documenting the American urban homesteading movement.
Low Impact Living discovered a much better investment than the stock market: green home improvements.
Lisa Kivirist showed us how to adopt a neighbor’s fruit tree.
Raz Godelnik of Eco-Libris wondered if free online open-source textbooks represented the future for college students.

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Interested in Greening Your Commercial Kitchen? Enter to Win $40,000 in Equipment

Joel Bittle — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:07:35 +0000

The folks over at Food Service Warehouse are celebrating the announcement of their Certified Green Commercial Kitchens program by announcing a green commercial kitchen contest, with $40,000 worth of kitchen equipment and supplies going to the winner. If you operate a commercial kitchen and have taken steps to make it greener, fill out the form by October 31 to enter the contest. It’s free and the prizes include a refrigerator/freezer, steamer, fryer, ice machine, oven, and more.

Food Service Warehouse is an online source for commercial kitchen equipment that has taken impressive steps in encouraging green commercial kitchen practices. They have devoted dozens of pages to explaining the advantages of going green and giving practical advice on how to achieve it.

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Energy Star Ratings: Greenwashing or Double Standards?

Derek Markham — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:11:32 +0000

You did your homework and bought an energy-efficient refrigerator.

It has the Energy Star rating, so you’re thinking that you might save some money on the electric bill and help to green your house by purchasing it.

You might be wrong.

In the October issue of Consumer Reports, “Save Energy, Save Money“, an article entitled “Energy Star has lost some luster” has stirred up some controversy. Consumer Reports rated one refrigerator as using 60% more electricity than the Energy Star label stated, and one, the LG LMX25981ST French-door fridge, as using more than double the energy on the label.

It turns out that according to the Department of Energy (DOE) procedures for testing, the refrigerator’s ice machine should be turned off during the test. Turning off the ice maker on some models, like the one tested, also turns off the cooling to the ice-making compartment.

Who buys a refrigerator with an ice-maker and then shuts it off?

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Low Impact Living: Go Beyond Energy Star to Achieve Maximum Savings

Low Impact Living — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:17:09 +0000

Don’t get us wrong, we love Energy Star. Madly, truly, deeply LOVE it. It’s just important to know that not all Energy Star rated appliances are created equal, so it’s worth a bit of investigation to ensure that you get the most energy efficiency bang for your buck.

If you’re unfamiliar with the program, here’s a bit of background: Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Together, they established minimum standards for energy efficiency, above and beyond the federal standard. By purchasing Energy Star rated products, including clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and room AC units, Americans saved $16 billion on their utility bills in 2007 alone. Those lower utility bills translate into a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 27 million cars. Talk about a positive impact!

So when you’re ready to invest in a new appliance, you should definitely look for the Energy Star label. Many states even offer rebates on Energy Star appliances (check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Energy Efficiencyfor details).

Even with Energy Star models, efficiency improvements can vary so it’s important to review all of the products available to select the best one for you. On the Energy Star site, each appliance category has its own product list that provides the details on each model’s efficiency. Here are a few standouts in each category:

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Green Kitchens on a Budget

Joel Bittle — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:30:29 +0000

Remodeling a kitchen is an expensive process, and those who seek environmentally friendly products but are operating under a tight budget may feel they can’t afford to go green. Fortunately, the opposite is true. While there are many excellent choices for those for whom money is no object, some lesser known and much less expensive options offer the same environmental benefits. With a little knowledge and research, remodeling green can be easy and within your budget.

When seeking green kitchen cabinets, countertops, and flooring, the three areas to consider are materials, emissions, and whether it is a regional product. Each of these can have environmental advantages, and while finding products that qualify in multiple areas is certainly possible, some seek a kitchen with all recycled products or one with the minimum of harmful emissions. It is up to you to determine which area of green is most important to you.

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Low Impact Living: Great New Resource for Green Rebates, Tax Incentives

Low Impact Living — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:33:53 +0000

Editor’s note: This short post from our friends at Low Impact Living points you to a (literal) gold mine of information on incentives for greening your home. Check it out: that energy-efficient upgrade to your home may be even less expensive than you imagined. This post was originally published on Monday, May 19th, 2008.

We want to let you know about an excellent new resource available to you– GreenMadeSimple.com. This site has created a very comprehensive database of green rebates, tax incentives and free offers across the US.

Their zip-code guided search allows you to find incentives and deals related to energy-efficient appliances and lighting, solar power, hybrid and alt-fuel vehicles, and more. The database includes federal, state and local incentives. Just put in your zip code and prepare to go green and save money.

Here are some examples of the jewels you’ll find:

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Low Impact Living: Five Eco-Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Rebate

Low Impact Living — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:01:50 +0000

Editor’s note: Hopefully, a tax rebate or economic stimulus check is in the mail for you. Our friends at Low Impact Living have some ideas on ways to invest that money in your home… and the environment. This post was originally published on Monday, May 12, 2008

We know that many of us will need to spend our tax rebate check on critical items like food or rent or paying off debt. But just in case you have some of your tax rebate check left and you’re looking for eco-friendly ways to spend the money, we have some ideas we’d like to share with you.

And we’ve geared these tips to supporting the US economy, so you get to do the right thing for the planet and be an eco-patriot at the same time! In coming up with our list of ideas we decided it would be good to recommend ideas that reduce our negative environmental impacts but also support US manufacturers and service providers. So here are five eco-smart ways to use your rebate to support the Earth, the US economy, and save your household money in the long run.

1. Buy a high-efficiency water heater. A high-efficiency water heater can cut your energy use, water use, carbon footprint and even utility bills (over the long run). For most homes you can get the heater itself for $600 - $1,200, but you’ll probably have to spring for installation as well. Models made in the US include the AO Smith Vertex (a storage model that beats the pants off of tankless HW heaters), electric models made by American Tankless Water Heaters, and natural gas tankless heaters made by Rheem (some made in the US). Click here to learn more about making the tankless decision, and click here to find local installers.

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Low Impact Living: Green Your Kitchen

Low Impact Living — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:17:45 +0000

Editor’s note: Thinking about a kitchen remodel? This week, Low Impact Living takes a look at every element of kitchen use, and how you can both make the space more efficient, more livable, and more earth-friendly. This post was originally published on September 7, 2007.

You may not know it, but your kitchen is one of the biggest resource hogs in your house. You use electricity and natural gas for your appliances. You use water in your sink and dish washer. Your fridge is stocked with foods grown and transported from all over the world that require chemicals, water and fuel to be produced and transported. And then there’s the non-recyclable packaging that goes straight to a landfill.

Here is a list of things you can do in your kitchen to lower your environmental impact, and also to live in a healthier home. We have recommendations for appliances, products and new behaviors.

Any chance you are planning a kitchen remodel? We also have great recommendations for you– wonderful new materials for countertops,cabinets and floors, leads on top-rated green architects and interior designers, and more. Just scroll down if you’re focused on a remodel.

Get Green in the Kitchen

1. Use energy-saving appliances. You can greatly reduce your power and water usage and your greenhouse gas production by using Energy Star appliances. Energy Star appliances can save as much as 50% of your energy and water use, and can cut your carbon footprint by 1000+ pounds, compared to standard appliances. Click here to see Energy Star models.

2. Use compact fluorescent lighting. Compact fluorescent lights use 1/4 the energy and last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs. And they come in versions that are dimmable, recessed-ready, and daylight spectrum–any version of light type you can think of. Each high-use bulb you replace will save up to $10 and 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, and they last for many years. Click here to see our wide range of CF lighting options.

3. Recycle and Re-use. Can you rinse that ziplock and use it again? Can you reuse the containers you got from take-out? And don’t get plastic bags every time you go to the store for groceries– take durable reusable sacks with you. Click here for reusable grocery bags..

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Very Efficient Clothes Washers

Joel Bittle — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:41:47 +0000

Since its inception in 1992, the ENERGY STAR program, a joint program run by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy, has sought to protect the environment by promoting energy efficiency. Starting with personal computers and monitors, ENERGY STAR established energy usage guidelines that set the bar for energy conservation. Over the years the ENERGY STAR program has brought just about anything that uses energy or water under its umbrella, saving an estimated $14 billion in energy costs in 1996. LEED for Homes and the NAHB’s Model Green Building Guidelines both encourage green home builders to use ENERGY STAR rated appliances. For those seeking additional credits - and energy savings - both green building programs encourage the use of very efficient clothes washers. But what exactly is a very efficient clothes washer?

A very efficient clothes washer saves both water and energy. Water Factor (WF) measures the number of gallons per cycle per cubic foot that the washer uses. In order to qualify as a very efficient clothes washer, it must have a WF of less than 5.5. To put that number into perspective, washers that have a WF of 8, the maximum for an ENERGY STAR labeled clothes washer, use up to 10,000 gallons of water a year. One of Asko’s UltraCare clothes washers boasts of a WF of 3.4, using under 3,000 gallons of water a year. Granted, at 1.9 cubic feet the Asko model is quite small, but if water efficiency is the goal, Asko sets the standard.

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Efficiency in a Clothes Dryer

Philip Proefrock — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:26:57 +0000

The Dryer Miser is a huge step forward for one kind of energy sucking home appliance, the clothes dryer. While clotheslines are even more efficient and lower energy consuming, not everyone can use them all the time. Climate and weather can limit when a clothesline can be used, and many people live in buildings or sites where line drying is impractical.

Instead of directly heating the air, the Dryer Miser uses a heat exchanger filled with a fluid that is heated in order to transfer heat much more efficiently. “Made of durable copper and aluminum, the Hydronic Dryer’s heat technology works by heating up a specially formulated, non-toxic and non-corrosive heat transfer fluid with an immersion element (similar to a water heater). The fluid is transferred to a heat exchanger where it is mixed with air. The heated air is then blown into the dryer’s drum. The result is a safer, highly energy efficient dryer, that dries faster than any other brand available on the market – up to 41% faster!”

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2009 Solar Decathlon Teams Announced

Philip Proefrock — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:55:39 +0000

The 20 teams selected for the 2009 Solar Decathlon have been announced by the US Department of Energy. Each team will receive a $100,000 grant from the DOE to be used for creating a completely solar-powered home for the competition.

The full list can be found in an article at Custom Home Online. The 2009 competition has some international flavor, including last year’s winner, the Technische Universität Darmstadt, as well as the Universidad Polytécnica de Madrid and two groupings of Canadian universities.

» See also: Volunteer at 1bog.org to help educate about solar energy
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One former faculty adviser to a university Decathlon team lamented the reduction of the Solar Decathlon to a more narrow range of design concepts. The first few Decathlons were wide-open events, with very different designs. But with certain criteria in place, the strategies have been narrowed down to address the specific problems posed by the Decathlon challenge. These are still good designs that are being produced, but they are now tuned to a set of particular requirements and criteria.

Homes designed for the Decathlon should perhaps be viewed in the same spirit as one views Formula One race cars compared to ordinary cars. In the cases of both the auto race and the Solar Decathlon, the competitors are tuned for specific ways of maximizing the allowable methods for winning a contest. While some developments in the competition may trickle down to more prosaic, domestic uses, it’s not a representative testbed.

We’ll certainly be looking at the entries when the Decathlon is held; however, I don’t expect to see great numbers of them making an appearance in a neighborhood anytime soon. Like race cars, they are great to look at, and fun to think about using, but for most of us, they aren’t a practical alternative to what we have now.
Image (Kansas State/Univ. Kansas 2007 entry in front of Washington Monument) via Curious Cat

Daily Tip: Save Energy, Lose the Gadgets

Amy Stodghill — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:56:50 +0000

Don’t worry. We’re not talking about giving up your Ipod or Blackberry. But you might be able to do without some of those small plug-in appliances and other gadgets around the house.

This tip comes from Dani Greer, creator of The Non-Electric Life Squidoo Lens:

Americans are hooked on gadgets, and far too many of them are electric. Some of them are downright ridiculous, and don’t make life an yeasier or more pleasant. Why use a leafblower, when a broom or rake will do the job? Look in your kitchen. Is it Gadgetville in there? When was the last time you used that electric jar opener you got for Christmas? Even a regular electric can-opener is a waste of energy and resources…

And why use an electric grinder or blender when a mortar and pestle will work just fine for grinding up spices? A simple cheese grater works to grate ginger, too. A mandoline does as quick a job as a food processor. The added benefit is that non-electric gadgets aren’t nearly as noisy. Most of the time they’ll cost a lot less than that expensive Cuisinart.

Here’s a quick list of some convenient gadgets and their old fashioned counterparts to consider:

The handmixer (or standing mixer) = the whisk
The electric can opener = the crank and turn can opener
Microwave = oven and stove
Toaster = broiler
Hairdryer = air
Electric razor = straight razor
Electric grinder or food processor = mortar and pestle
Coffee maker = french press
Fan = open windows for cross breeze

Of course you may not be able to give up the electrical version completely, but you might be able to use it less. And simply unplug when not in use - this is a huge energy saver.

Amy says: When baking, I normally prefer to cream the butter and sugar together with my trusty wooden spoon, but when it comes to egg whites and whipped cream I let convenience trump my eco-conscience. After three years without a handmixer, I broke down and bought one over the weekend to make a lemon meringue pie. As a compromise, I resolve to only use it for special occasions.

For suggesting today’s tip Dani will receive two months of wind power from Renewable Choice energy. Have a tip you’d like to share? Send it along to us today.

The Sub-Zero PRO 48: A Fridge That Uses Less Energy Than A Light Bulb

Michael dEstries — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:03:55 +0000

I have to admit: I'm a sucker for cool fridges. I'm also really into those massive washer and dryers that look like they came off a spaceship. Of course, the gadget devil on my left shoulder is quickly beaten to a pulp by the green angel on my right; but the fact is, I still dig visiting Home Depot every now and then for some appliance eye-candy.

Of course, the point of this post isn't to reveal to you my food storage fetish, but to show you that more and more kitchen appliances are hitting the market that allow my two sides to co-exist more peacefully. Take for instance, the new ultra-luxury PRO 48 from Sub-Zero. This massive fridge looks like it needs its own power plant. However, according to the manufacturers (always a trust-worthy source), this steel monsters consumes less energy than a 100 Watt light bulb!

Granted, we're talking about 800 lbs of steel, glass, and other particulars that probably did not come from recycled sources, green power, or other environmentally-friendly processes. However, if the rich are going to outfit their kitchens with these machines, it's nice to see that they're at least a little light on the energy consumption side. There's LED lighting throughout, what appears to be incredible insulation and sealing, and a nice little window so you can figure out what you want before you open the fridge and start wasting energy. How many of us are guilty of doing just that on a daily basis? Then again, if you have guests over, not only will you have to tidy the house, but you'll also have to make sure the inside of your fridge looks like something from the website. Push those leftovers to the back.

Hit the site for more information. For now, we'll take Sub-Zero's word that this fridge is less of an energy hog than the other models out there. Let's hope Al Gore picks up a couple for his home(s). (grin)

Link: The Sub-Zero PRO 48 via Hippyshopper