Brian Hunter, President of Greenstar Remodeling
I meet a great deal of people each month in the course of what I do for a living, and many of you are taking advantage of the low interest rates by starting home remodeling projects. With current house sales down, this is a great way to reinvest in your home.
One of the smartest and easiest ways to spend those precious remodeling dollars is to purchase new energy-saving appliances. These appliances will not only save the environment but, on top of that, save you money in the long run. Energy saving appliances use less energy resulting in you spending less money on your monthly bills, all while helping you reduce your carbon footprint.
The easiest way to find these energy efficient appliances, which not only use less energy but in many cases are noticeably quieter, is to look for the Energy Star logo. Energy Star is a program between the United States Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency geared to deliver energy-saving practices and products to the consumer.
By visiting the Energy Star site, you’ll find a listing of appliances that are ideal “energy-savers”. These appliances use less energy while doing the same function. Many green experts estimate that if just one in every 10 homes used Energy Star appliances, it would equate to the planting of more than one million trees. The energy use of our appliances makes up 34 percent of our home’s total energy cost. By decreasing this percentage, you are not only helping the environment; but you’re putting a dent in your expenses.
Energy Star offers government-rated options for purchasing everything from washers and dryers, dishwashers, battery chargers, water heaters, boilers, furnaces and ventilating fans to refrigerators, air cleaners, geothermal heat pumps, DVD players, televisions, computers, light bulbs and much more.
Check it out.
There’s no doubt in my mind that we can all do our part by purchasing the “right” appliance for the environment once in a while. If we did, just imagine how many of those trees would be planted every single day!
