Cash in your old refrigerator for a new energy efficient model

Now is the time to take advantage of the many “refrigerator recycling” programs being run by utility companies and state governments across the U.S.

Most programs will offer a rebate check (average $30) when you purchase an approved energy efficient refrigerator. The programs also will haul away your old, working refrigerator where parts of it will be recycled and made into such things as new appliances, cars, road asphalt, or even burned to produce energy.

A blog post by the New York Times states, “Utilities commonly estimate that homeowners can save up to $150 a year on their electricity bill by dumping their old refrigerator or freezer.”

You will also be helping the environment by shutting off old refrigerators that emit ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons.

Check with your local utility or state government to see what other programs they offer for other types of appliances as well. But hurry, usually these programs are for a limited time. A quick check found that one such program run by efficiencyvermont.com, a Vermont-based power provider, also provides rebates for ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioners, clothes washers, and dehumidifiers.

Appliance recycling programs offer a great way to reduce energy costs over time, help the environment while saving consumers some money at the time of purchase.

For more information on just some of the refrigerator recycling programs being offered, visit the websites listed below:

• Vermont Rebate Programs
• New Jersey’s Refrigerator Recycling Program
• · Massachusetts Refrigerator Recycling Program for National Grid electric customers
• Rhode Island Refrigerator Recycling Program National Grid electric customers

For more information on making your current appliances from energy efficient, visit APWagner.com.

Refrigerator Energy Efficiency tips

Air Conditioner Energy Efficiency tips

Dehumidifier Energy efficiency tips

How your energy efficient appliances could be costing you money

Here’s an interesting article from USA Today about how people buying energy efficient appliances are actually not saving any money. That’s because people are using their appliances more and in inefficient ways. This whole phenomenon is called the “Snackwell Effect.”

“Just as dieters might binge on Snackwell’s low-calorie cookies, people who buy energy-efficient items for their homes sabotage their efforts to save power – often by using the appliances more heavily, studies have shown.”

Read the rest of the story here: “Consumers can sabotage their energy conservation efforts.”

The article does offer a suggestion: “One solution: Devices that tell people how much electricity they use hour-by-hour, so they know the power consumed by a particular appliance.”

That could be helpful if it makes people develop new habits that help them save energy. Obviously, buying energy-efficient appliances and products, is not enough in itself, people need to develop new habits and practices in order to save energy and money.

• Always wash a full load of laundry and/or dishes. Exclusions to this rule are heavily soiled items of laundry or clothing you think might “bleed” and delicate items of clothing. For your dishwasher, wash fine china, delicate glassware, or hand-painted items by hand.
• Wash items in cold water, it often gets your laundry just as clean.
• If your clothes dryer has drying detecting sensors, use them. They are more reliable on detecting when your laundry is dry, than set time limits on your clothes dryer’s timer.
• To avoid unnecessary ironing, remove clothes from the dryer right away.
• If you live in a warm climate or if it’s summer, hang a clothes line and let your clothes line-dry.
• If you are preparing small meals or snacks, see if you can microwave the food rather than popping it in the oven.
• Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
• Maintain and clean your appliances. If appliance parts are cracked or broken, you could be losing money by having your appliance work harder to maintain proper temperatures, such is the case with the refrigerator.

Get the most out of your energy-efficient appliances and make sure you are using them in a way that saves you money.

Upgrade your clothes dryer duct work to prevent fires in your home and business

All too often, I come across stories in the news about dirty clothes dryers and lint-clogged vents causing fires in homes and businesses. Here’s such a story from HartfordCourant.com in Hartford, Connecticut.

“EAST HARTFORD: Clothes Dryer Malfunction Cited In House Fire“. The cause of the fire was, “Backed-up lint in the clothes dryer.”

Plastic, foil covered clothes dryer ducts sag and bend easily, creating pockets that catch lint which can lead to a fire.

“The incident, while minor, should serve as a lesson on appliance maintenance, said Assistant Fire Chief William Perez, who said the dryer’s vent pipe was clogged with lint,”

Need more convincing? Here’s another story from The Grand Rapids Press in Michigan, about a business that was destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire was, again, lint in the clothes dryer.

“Dryer suspected as cause of business fire”

“Fire investigators told owners of a spa damaged by a fire Tuesday that lint in a clothes dryer likely caused the blaze.”

“Amy Glass was at the spa Tuesday morning and had been doing laundry. She started the dryer and left to go to her daughter’s home about a mile away. When she returned, the building was in flames. A passing motorist reported the fire.”

Read the rest of the story online: “Dryer suspected as cause of business fire”

If you have the kind of clothes dryer ducts made from easily bendable foil or plastic, upgrade your ducts to ones made of metal, like this Deluxe Dryer Venting Kit

Deluxe Dryer Venting Kit Whirlpool SK8WF -Sale price: $14.32

made by Whirlpool.  This clothes dryer venting kit will not only protect you against dangerous dryer lint build-up, it will also help your clothes dryer be more energy-efficient, helping you  save money on your energy bills.

If you have a long exhaust line, due to the design of your home or apartment, then  get the  Dryer Jet Booster by Whirlpool (Part number:9460DJ).

The Clothes Dryer Jet Booster will boost the drying power of your clothes  dryer and has an automatic on and off switch which can be  aligned  with the drying times used by your clothes dryer.

The Clothes Dryer Jet Booster will help reduce drying times, saving you money,  not to mention wear and tear on your clothes dryer.

Dryer Jet Booster Whirlpool 9460DJ -Sale price: $164.95dryer.

After replacing your old dryer duct work with better, safer, metal duct work, go outside to where your duct work exhausts and make sure your outside clothes dryer vent is properly protected with a dryer vent hood. This dryer vent hood by Whirlpool (Part Number: GVHAW4) comes preassembled and includes removable bird and pest guard to keep rodents and birds from entering your home.

If you are looking for more clothes dryer installation parts, check out

Dryer Vent Hood Whirlpool GVHAW4 - Sale price: $5.99

the selection online at AP Wagner Appliance Parts.com.

How to lower your electric bills, some handy tips

Here’s an interesting article and PodCast from NPR.org’s “All Tech Considered” on monitoring power usage on the home. The show and blog post are both about “vampire power” which is not a new indie band, but the term used to describe the power that electronic items use even when they are not turned on or in use.

A notorious culprit of vampire power, that I recently became aware of, is the cell phone charger. But basically anything with a charger, remote, or a clock display, can continue to suck the power from your home when not in use and thereby suck money from your wallet.

To find out how much your electronic items are costing you when not in use, purchase the P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor. The Kill A Watt is an electronic device that displays the energy consumed by your appliances, lamps and computers in your home.

Yahoo gives a good chart that estimates the vampire energy that plugged in appliances and electronics are probably consuming in your home right now.  

So how does one fight vampire power? Your wooden stick and garlic is the power strip. Plug your items into a power strip and use the on/off button on the power strip to turn all your items off at once. Get into the habit of doing this everyday and you will see a difference in your electricity bill. Plus, using the power strip eliminates the hassle of going around your home and manually unplugging all items. It also prevents damage to your appliance’s power cords. If you already have damage to the cord and plug fear not, you can buy new appliance cords online to replace any damaged cords in your home.

Other ways you can conserve energy at home, purchase a Smart Strip Power Strip that detects when your electronics are not in use and automatically turns off power.

Links

·         Vampire Energy Consumption Graph

·         P3 Kill A Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor

·         Smart Strip Power Strip

·         Replacement appliance cords

10 simple ways to save energy with your appliances!

Appliances account for a large percentage of your annual energy bill. Spending a little time making sure they are running properly can save you lots of green!

1. Make sure that your refrigerator has a few inches of space behind it so air can circulate around the condenser coils. The appliance that uses the most energy is the refrigerator.

2. Dusty condenser coils cause your refrigerator to work harder, leading to higher bills, and a shorter life for the fridge. Clean them with a vacuum, duster, or a cleaner every three months to ensure it is running efficiently. If you have pets clean it every month. You can find vacuum attachments, dusters, and cleaner at www.apwagner.com

3. How cold is your refrigerator? Having it too cold can be a waste of energy. It is recommended that the temperature for the refrigerator is 37 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the freezer is 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Is your refrigerator full? A fuller fridge ensures the temperature is evenly distributed. If you have a lot of room in your refrigerator, fill some containers with water, and fill in the space. If that doesn’t work, consider a smaller fridge.

5. Make sure your fridge gasket is clean and does not have any holes or cracks in it. The gasket’s job is to keep the cold air in and the warm air out. If it is not working properly the refrigerator will work harder keeping the air cold, and thus lead to a larger energy bill.

6. Wash clothes in cold water if possible. Most of the energy used for machine-washing clothes goes to heating the water.

7. Is the lint screen on your dryer clean? A clogged lint screen makes the dryer use more energy. In addition to that it can also become a fire hazard.

8. Dry one load right after the other. This will reduce warm-up and drying times.

9. Set the fan on your central air conditioner to “on”, rather then “auto”. Doing this will circulate the air constantly, leading to a more evenly distributed temperature throughout the house.

10. Maintain your central air conditioner by cleaning the compressor with a garden hose. Make sure the power-flow is off before you do this.

If your appliance is broken, don’t replace it, visit www.apwagner.com for all your appliance part needs, and detailed repair help!