Northfork Sparks & Flashes Supplement to Oklahoma Living 12 March


How to Buy an Energy Efficient Appliance


CONTENTS PAGE 2


Include Your Activity on Our Calendar of Events


Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month


PAGE 3 Recipes:


Quiche, Anyone? PAGE 4


How do Air-Source Heat Pumps Work?


Operating and Maintaining Your Heat Pump


Lightning Season is Almost Here


You go shopping for a new refrigerator, and you’re on a budget. The best buy is the fridge with the lowest sales price, right? Not necessarily. If you buy the lowest- priced refrigerator, you may end up spending more than if you buy a more expensive one. The reason? The cost of owning a home appliance has three components: the initial purchase price, the cost of repairs and maintenance, and the cost to operate it.  the lifetime of the appliance, you have to look at all these factors. The appliance with the lowest initial purchase price, or even the one with the best repair record, isn’t necessarily the one that costs the least to operate. Here’s an example of how an appliance’s energy consumption can affect your out-of-pocket costs.


Suppose you’re in the market for a new


refrigerator-freezer. Different models of refrigerators with the same capacity can vary dramatically in the amount of electricity they  example, the annual electricity consumption varies across models from a low of about 600 kWh a year to a high of more than 800 kWh a year. Based on national average electricity prices, that means the annual cost to operate this refrigerator can range from about $50 to $70, depending on which model you buy. A $20 difference in annual operating costs might not sound like much. But remember you will enjoy these savings year after year for the life of the appliance, while you must pay any difference in purchase price only once. As a result, you may actually save money by buying


 model.  an appliance that you’re thinking about buying through the yellow-and-black EnergyGuide label. The Federal Trade Commission’s Appliance Labeling Rule requires appliance manufacturers to put these labels on:  Refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers;  Water heaters, furnaces, boilers;  Central and room air conditioners, heat pumps, and pool heaters.


When you shop for one of these appliances,  of an appliance or secured to the outside. The law requires that the labels specify: The capacity of the particular model;  For refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers; clothes washers and water heaters, the estimated annual energy consumption of the model’  For air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, boilers and pool heaters, the energy   The range of estimated annual energy  comparable appliances.


Some appliances also may feature the


ENERGY STAR logo, which means that the  than the average comparable model. To compare how updating appliances and making other changes around your home can impact your electric bill, visit www.TogetherWeSave.com.


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