Appliances

Why are appliances important?

Appliances in our homes offer a big opportunity to minimize the electricity we use — lighting, appliances, and electronics are responsible for 26% of New York State’s residential energy use! There are two main paths for reducing the amount of electricity used by appliances: using appliances less and replacing appliances with more energy efficient products. This not only reduces your utility bill, but also means that less energy is needed to power your home. If you get your electricity from a fossil fuel source, minimizing the energy used by the appliances in your home means that less fossil fuels will need to be burned, thus shrinking your carbon footprint. You can also reduce your carbon footprint by replacing appliances that rely on fossil fuels to equivalent products that function without fossil fuels! Taking steps to decrease the amount of energy used by appliances in your household is an important step toward becoming a net-zero home.

How should I reduce my use of appliances?

How many appliances do you have in your home? Each of these appliances use electricity when on, and some even use electricity when not in use. However, some of these use more energy in our home than others, and these are the items that you should prioritize when increasing the efficiency or minimizing the use of certain appliances. Try using the watt meter in the PowerHouse to see how much electricity different appliances use! The table below compares ten common appliances that are the biggest energy users in New York homes:

Some of the appliances listed above can be used more intentionally — and therefore less often or for a shorter duration — to reduce the amount of energy used and money spent. For example, if a household identifies and eliminates sources of moisture in the house, the dehumidifier, the second largest user of electricity amongst appliances, can be used considerably less. Other appliances, such as room A/Cs and portable space heaters, which moderate temperature within a given area, can be turned down or off when a room is unoccupied. Other appliances, such as copiers, televisions, and computers, can simply be turned off when not in use.

Even appliances that are in standby mode can use electricity. This phenomenon is often referred to as a vampire load, energy vampire, or phantom load. A typical American home has 40 appliances that are using energy, which amounts to nearly 10% of our country’s residential electricity. Just as appliances require different amounts of energy when in use, they also use different amounts of energy while in standby mode. The Berkeley Lab has compiled a comparative table of the energy used by appliances when they are off or in standby mode.

What are the alternatives to appliances that use fossil fuels?

In addition to limiting your use of certain appliances, you can also purchase energy efficient and non-fossil fuel dependent appliances. Some of the appliances listed in the table above often rely on fossil fuels — such as certain stoves and water heaters — but can be replaced with appliances that not only do not rely on fossil fuels, but will also save your household money. For example, heat pump water heaters are an alternative to conventional storage tank and tankless water heaters that do not use fossil fuels and are energy efficient. Air-source heat pump water heaters transfer heat from the surrounding air to the water tank to heat water. Heat pump water heaters can be purchased as a standalone system. If you already have heat pump, you can use this system with a conventional storage water heater. Heat pump water heaters can three times more energy efficient than conventional electric water heating systems, and can save a household of four around $350 annually.

Another alternative to a fossil-fuel-dependent appliance is an induction stove. Induction stoves are incredibly energy efficient and only require electricity, not fossil fuels, to heat magnetic pots and pans on a stovetop through magnetism. When in use, an induction stovetop creates an electromagnetic field. When a magnetic pot or pan is placed on the stovetop, this cookware becomes hot as a result of being in the electromagnetic field, which causes the molecules of the pot to bump into each other. Heat is only generated in the electromagnetic field and directly heats the pot, so the stovetop itself remains relatively cool. This means that food spilled on the stovetop will not burn, and touching the stovetop itself will not burn you. Any cookware made with iron or steel, such as cast iron pans, will work on an induction stove.

Induction stoves also use energy more efficiently than other cooking methods; 90% of the energy consumed by induction stoves are transferred to heating the food, whereas only 73% and 40% of the energy consumed is transferred to the food being heated by traditional electric stoves and gas stoves respectively. Induction stoves also tend to heat food much faster than gas or electric stoves.

What are other energy efficient appliances that i can purchase?

In addition to switching to alternative appliances that do not use fossil fuels, you can also purchase energy efficient products when replacing appliances in your home. Products that are more efficient will require less watts of electricity when in use. One way to ensure that you are purchasing energy efficient appliances is to buy products that have earned an Energy Star® designation. Energy Star® is an energy efficiency program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.

Appliances are deemed an Energy Star® product if they meet strict energy efficiency standards set by these two agencies. Energy Star® appliances perform the same functions as other products but use less energy. For example, an Energy Star® freezer uses one-third the amount of electricity used by most freezers and Energy Star® refrigerators are at least 15% more efficient than the minimum federal efficiency requirement for all refrigerators.

Getting an energy audit

We also recommend getting an energy audit so that a professional can help identify solutions to help make your home more energy efficient. Based on the energy audit, the contractor can also help you access incentive or rebate programs, such as those offered by NYSERDA, that can help cover the cost of purchasing energy efficient products. The Get Your GreenBack website has a list of local contractors that you can contact for an energy audit.

FAQs

Q: How can I monitor which appliances use the most electricity in my house?

A: There are several ways in which you can determine how much electricity is used by the appliances in your home. One simple way to measure this is by using a watt meter, just like the one in the PowerHouse. Watt meters can be purchased at most home improvement stores for $10-$20, or you can borrow one from the Tompkins County Public Library’s Library of Things.

Q: Does filling my fridge make it more efficient?

A: According to Energy.gov, yes. This is one simple step you can do to save energy.