Appliance Energy Cost Chart (PDF)

Energy Conservation (from www.eere.energy.gov/consumers/tips)

Did you know that the typical U.S. family spends more than $1,600 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. And as for the road, transportation accounts for 66% of all U.S. oil consumption. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home and in your car. Start making small changes today. The key to achieving these savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it’s a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will burn a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not insulated and leak. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely. Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over their lifetimes. In addition, your home could bring in a higher price when you sell.

Easy low-cost and no-cost ways to save energy

• Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
• Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips;
turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and
DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
• Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120°F.
• Take short showers instead of baths.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
• Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and
braking) wastes gasoline.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on home appliances and products.
ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Leaky ductwork in your A/C system can cause your energy costs to skyrocket. Find out how to spot leaky ducts and what to do to repair them from the Department of Energy- click here!

SEER Ratings and What They Mean (http://www.smarterwayinc.com/seer.asp)

SEER rating is the method used to describe the efficiency of a particular equipment system. SEER stands for "Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio". The systems purchased today typically range from 10.00 SEER to 18.00 SEER. If you have a home and the current system is 10-15 years old, you may have a system that ranges from 6.0 SEER to 10.00 SEER. Of course at the time it was installed, 10.00 SEER was considered "High Efficiency". Today, with all the focus on conservation and energy savings, that "High Efficiency 10.00 SEER" from 10-15 years ago is growing obsolete.

In the chart, the left column indicates operating costs and the gradually decreasing scale shows how with a higher SEER rating (numbers along bottom of chart) the operating costs are reduced. In essence, if you would have spent $100 to operate an 8.00 SEER system, by installing a 14.00 SEER system, your operating costs would drop to $57.00 as opposed to the $100 spent operating the lower efficiency system. These are estimates only, and designed to show that with the higher the SEER rating, the lower the operating costs.

If you have a 6.0 SEER, and you installed a new 12.00 SEER or 13.00 SEER system, you would cut your power consumption in half (in regard to your AC System). Considering that in many cases the central air system represents the largest draw on power in your home, any improvement is a wise decision.

The systems today are very advanced as you move up in the efficiency range. They cost a bit more at initial purchase, but when you calculate the energy savings -vs- dollars spent they pay for themselves fairly quickly.

Here's an example:

Current system is 6.0 SEER and power bill runs $150.00 per month.

A 10.00 SEER system is $1500.00 and your power bill may be $125.00 per month.

Upgrade to a 14.00 SEER system for an additional $800.00 and your power bill drops to $90.00 per month.

The price between the 10.00 SEER and the 14.00 SEER is $800.00. The monthly savings equate to $35.00 per month (14.00 SEER -vs- 10.00 SEER). Take the $800.00 difference and divide that by the $35.00 savings and you would pay off the improved system through energy savings in 22.86 months.

The benefits are: improved power bill, increased value of home, and your system won't be obsolete in 2 years. Bear in mind, the ratio of savings varies from household to household as people live differently in each case. The example given above is strictly as an example and there is no guarantee that you will see that exact example in your home.

From the Department of Energy: (http://www.eere.energy.gov/)

SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, the Department of Energy’s measure of energy efficiency for the seasonal cooling performance of central air conditioners and central air conditioning heat pumps.

The 2006 standards raises the energy efficiency standards to 13 SEER for new central air conditioners and to 13 SEER/7.7 HSPF for new central air conditioning heat pumps. The standards apply to products manufactured for sale in the United States as of January 23, 2006. HSPF stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, the Department of Energy’s measure of energy efficiency for the seasonal heating performance of central air conditioning heat pumps.

The standard for split-system air conditioners, the most common type of residential air conditioning equipment, represents a 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency. For split-system heat pumps, the new standard would represent a 30 percent improvement in cooling efficiency and a 13 percent improvement in heating efficiency. The standard will also increase the cooling efficiency of single-package air conditioners and single-package heat pumps by 34 percent and the heating efficiency of single-package heat pumps by 17 percent.