Energy Star Rating Explained
Everything you need to know about Energy Star Ratings
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Energy Star Rating
Every electrical appliance comes with just two price tags for your information. These are the purchase prices and operating cost of the product itself. However, you need to know which appliances are good for you in relation to the energy consumption over a period of time you use it.
It does not matter the type of appliance you are purchasing provided that it is designed to meet all the energy requirements in terms of the star rating. Such energy star certified products are a great choice for you if you are looking to save money, especially on operating costs. The same product should reduce energy consumption without necessarily sacrificing its performance. That being said, we shall guide you accordingly on your quest to knowing everything regarding the energy rating appliances in the market.
What is an Energy Star?
An Energy Star is commonly referred to as the trusted and government-backed symbol that shows how efficient a product is when it comes to saving money while producing minimal greenhouse emission.
The Energy Star label or rating was established with the aim of reducing the greenhouse effect and other pollutants resulting from the inefficient use of energy. Also, the label was introduced to enable consumers to have an easy time when identifying and purchasing the right energy-efficient appliances that are designed to help them in saving on electricity bills.
For a product to have an Energy rating, there are requirements that need to be observed. One of the most significant factors is for the appliance to meet energy efficiency requirements. Such requirements are laid down by the Energy Star product specifications which are based on the following key guiding principles:
- The category in which the product falls under should be able to contribute significantly to the energy savings nationwide.
- The certified product needs to deliver all the features and performance that is needed by consumers as well as the increased energy efficiency.
- If the certified appliance cost more than the conventional but is less efficient, the buyers will recover their money from the increased energy efficiency at a given period of time.
- Energy efficiency goals can be realised through broadly available and non-proprietary technologies from more than one appliance manufacturers.
- Product energy consumption with the performance can be obtained and verified through testing.
- Labelling will enable the buyers to differentiate the products from the rest.
How do you read the Energy Star labels?
The Energy Star label will enable you to measure the appliance energy efficiency as well as the environmental impact. As a consumer, you will always find a yellow sticker placed on the front side of the appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, dryers and so on. The sticker is known as the Energy Star label and it has a lot of information regarding the energy consumption for a particular product.
By knowing how to read the Energy Star label you will be in a better position to understand the best ways to save money on energy bills and minimise any waste of energy. You can read the label in the following ways:
1) First of all, you need to look at the upper right corner of your product to find its model number and make. The information you will come across will help you in identifying the type of appliance you are about to purchase.
2) At the top of the label, you will see a list of the key features of the appliance. The list is likely to give you details on the interior space size of that particular appliance you are checking out to buy.
3) At the center of the Energy Star label, there is a number right under the words. The number indicates the amount of energy this particular appliance will consume in a period of one year. The number is usually measured in kilowatts hours per year or kWh/Y. This means that if the appliance you are looking to buy has a higher number compared to the next one, then it is obvious that it is less efficient in energy consumption than the other product with the lower number.
4) Below the kWh/Y, you will see a number which in this regard, is a scale and above it, it will read “energy use range for all similar models”. But immediately below, there is a marker along the scale which indicates where the appliance model falls in terms of energy efficiency compared to other similar models. When you find the marker on the left side, just know that the model you are looking at is more energy efficient in its class. On the far right side, it means that the model uses a lot of energy more than its competitors.
5) The number at the bottom of the sticker (with the dollar sign) indicates the cost of running that particular appliance in a full year. This amount is always based on the national average rates for the energy consumed.
In simple terms, the more Energy Stars that the appliance has, the more energy efficient and more environmentally-friendly it is.
Why is the Energy Star label important?
For more than two decades the consumers have been able to identify products that can help them in reducing their energy bills in their homes. Manufacturers have included the Energy Star label to their products in order to indicate their innovative new technologies that improve the quality of their products across the board. Therefore, you will find the following information to be important in relation to the Energy Star label on your appliances:
- Comparing the energy efficiency of different products
- Helps in preserving the environment by encouraging the use of energy efficient products
- It acts as a guideline when you are shopping for the new heating and cooling system for your home
- It comes with additional energy saving tips.
Get the professionals to help you with energy efficient appliance
The Energy Star label on an appliance will guide you on the best product to buy for your daily use. The label is an indication of energy efficiency for different products which in turn helps you in saving a lot of money on energy bills while protecting the environment. That is why you need to be on the lookout for the Energy Star label sticker every time you are purchasing your appliances in order to save on running costs over a certain period of time.
For more information contact Gordon’s Powers on (02) 9199 7480. Our level 2 electricians and 24-hour emergency electricians are available around the clock to assist you with your electrical needs.
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