Energy-Saving Devices Can Be Too Good To Be True

“If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” That saying rings especially true when it comes to claims about energy-saving devices, particularly those that indicate they can dramatically cut your heating and cooling costs.

Ads made to look like news stories abound for “Amish style” fireplaces, a “miracle device” that supposedly can slash your heating bills. In actuality, the appliance is simply a space heater hidden inside a false fireplace with a wooden mantle.

If you were to use a space heater eight hours a day, five days a week for a month, it would cost approximately $20. But whether it can cut your heating bill depends on several factors.

Space heaters only warm a small area. You may save some money if you turn down the thermostat (sometimes to as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit), site the space heater in a room with people in it, and then close off that room from the rest of the house. But space heaters cannot come close to replacing energy-efficient central heating or weatherization improvements. So while it’s technically possible to cut your heating bill by 50 percent using space heaters, for most people, it’s impractical.

On the flip side are evaporative coolers that say they will inexpensively cool a room in your home. The inside of the unit consists of cold water and frozen ice packs, like you would use in a lunch box. The water wets a curtain; a fan blows air through the curtain and over the ice packs, theoretically providing a cool breeze. Evaporative coolers operate best in low-humidity regions.

But do they actually work? A Consumer Reports experiment found that even in desert-like conditions, one device cooled a test room only 2 degrees over four hours.

“When it comes to saving energy, there are no magic solutions,” asserts Brian Sloboda, senior program manager for energy efficiency at the Cooperative Research Network, the research arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “Anyone promising to slash your utility bill by double digits is stretching the truth to the breaking point. Buying ENERGY STAR-rated appliances, unplugging battery chargers and other ‘vampire’ electronics, and sealing air leaks around windows and doors are some of the best ways to save money and energy.”

The bottom line: there’s no substitute for good old-fashioned energy efficiency measures like weather stripping around doors, caulking around windows, adding insulation to your attic, plugging leaks in ductwork, and regularly cleaning or replacing furnace filters.

Sources: ConsumerAffairs.com, Cooperative Research Network, Consumer Reports