Give the Gift of Energy Efficiency

When it comes to shopping for and comparing appliances and home electronics, look for the EnergyGuide and ENERGY STAR® labels to ensure the energy efficiency credentials of what’s in the box.
 
The Federal Trade Commission requires yellow EnergyGuide labels on most home appliances (except for ranges and ovens). These labels provide an estimate of the product’s energy consumption or energy efficiency, and compare it to the highest and lowest energy consumption or efficiency estimates of similar appliance models.
 
You won’t find EnergyGuide labels on home electronics such as computers, televisions, and home audio equipment. Instead, look for blue ENERGY STAR® labels on these products, indicating they’ve met strict energy efficiency criteria established by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
 
Ensuring that what you take home is energy efficient can make a big difference in the long run. The average home boasts two TVs, three telephones, and a DVD player. If these items were replaced with ENERGY STAR® qualified models, it would save more than 25 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year, equivalent to removing more than 2 million cars from the road.
 
Some home electronic products, like those with clock displays and remote controls, use energy even when they’re switched off, costing U.S. households $100 per year. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR® use     
less energy to perform “standby” functions, while providing the same performance and features as conventional models.
 
Using less energy preserves energy resources while saving money on energy bills. An energy-efficient gift is truly a gift that keeps on giving!
 
For more information, visit
www.eere.energy.gov or www.energystar.gov.
Sources: ENERGY STAR®, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy