Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 6-9 Subject: Home Economics

Energy Efficient Appliances

President Bush has approved new energy efficiency standards for home appliances in the U.S. The standards were issued during the last two weeks of the Clinton presidency. They will require new washing machines to use 35 percent less energy by the year 2007. Water heaters must use 5 percent to 9 percent less energy by the year 2004.

To meet the energy efficiency standard, appliances will be more expensive. A new washing machine will increase in price from today's average of $421 to $670. The price of an electric water heater will go up $100, from $380 to $480.

However, the new standards will save billions of dollars in energy costs. A new washing machine will save a typical homeowner $48 in electricity each year, and a new electric water heater will save $182 a year. After just a few years, homeowners will more than make up the difference in price, and they will save big over time.

The new energy standards won't be in effect for several more years, but in this lesson you can learn how you and your family can conserve energy at home today.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network

Begin by paying a visit to the Department of Energy's EREN site. EREN stands for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network. There are 600 links and 80,000 documents here (don't worry, we won't read them all).

When the site opens go to the Office of Building Technology (third link down on the left), and then click Homeowners. This site is all about saving energy in the home.

What do they mean by energy? In most cases it's electricity, but energy can also mean natural gas and heating oil. All these things cost money—a lot more recently since prices for home energy have gone up. If you and your family can conserve energy around the house, you can save a lot of cash and use it for things that are a little more fun, like summer vacations.

Scroll down the page and look for a link about buying energy efficient Appliances. What are some examples of home appliances? What percent of home energy is used to run appliances? After you read the second paragraph, click the EnergyGuide labels link. Most types of appliances in the U.S. are required to carry an EnergyGuide label showing how much energy they use. The label helps consumers know which models are the most efficient and will save them the most money over time. On the clothes washer label shown as an example, how many kilowatt-hours does this appliance use per year? Why do you think it costs more to operate this clothes washer with an electric water heater than with a natural gas heater?

Click here to see a better example of the EnergyGuide label for a refrigerator/freezer.

Go back to the Appliances page and click Clothes Washers. There are several links to check out here, so click on each one in order. Most of the energy used by clothes washers is for what? Name at least three things you can do to lower your washer's energy usage.

Go back to the Homeowners page and click Saving Water and Heating It Efficiently. Water heating is the third largest energy expense in U.S. households. What is the energy efficiency of a water heater if it is more than 10 years old? Click Reducing Your Water Heater's Energy Use. Name three ways to reduce your water heater's energy use.

53 Ways to Conserve Energy

You've already learned some good tips for conserving energy around the house. If you visit Redding Electric Utility's 53 Ways site you can learn 53 more. Don't click on any links, just scroll down the page.

• Heating is the single biggest energy use in homes. Cooling also takes a lot of energy. Name four things you can do to reduce the energy needed to heat or cool your home.
• If you want to save energy on laundry, when should you wash a load? See tip 27. What happens to your clothes dryer if you don't clean out the lint filter before every load?
• What takes more energy, washing dishes by hand or using a dishwasher? See tip 38.
• Should you turn off florescent lights if you're only going to leave the room for about ten minutes? See tip 50.

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