THE IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLIANCES

Every time you buy a home appliance, tune up your heating system or replace a burned-out light bulb, you're making a decision that affects the environment. You are probably already aware that most of our biggest environmental problems are directly associated with energy production and use: urban smog, oil spills, acid rain and global warming, to mention a few. But you may not realize just how big a difference eash of us can make by taking energy use into account in our household purchasing and maintenance decisions. For an average household with two cars, energy used in the house accounts for half of that household's total energy expenditures. In fact, choosing energy-efficient appliances is one way you can immediately reduce your contribution to global climate change.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary gas contributing to global warming and virtually all energy-using equipment results in CO2 emissions either directly or indirectly. Most of your electricity is likely to come from burning coal or gas at the power plant. By replacing a 20 year-old refrigerator with a new, energy-efficient model, you will also reduce your home's CO2 contribution by about one ton per year while saving about $80 in reduced electric bills.

Source: www.aceee.org/consumerguide/intro.htm