Energy Star's Make a Clean Change Campaign Under Way

Energy Star's Make a Clean Change Campaign encourages consumers to recycle their old, inefficient washers and replace them with new models bearing the Energy Star® label. Led by the U.S. Department of Energy, the campaign aims to help our country save energy, save money, and protect the environment.

While solar, geothermal, and other high-end technologies may steal the green spotlight, many homeowners are more interested in "high-value green": how can they green their homes affordably, with measures that begin paying back right away?

You can offer every customer high-value green just by upgrading inefficient appliances to Energy Star. And one of the biggest opportunities for savings is replacing the clothes washer. Consider: 

• Clothes washers manufactured before 1999 use more than four times the energy of today’s Energy Star qualified models. 
• About 24 million households have a top-loading washer at least 10 years old. Combined, these inefficient appliances consume $9 billion a year in energy and water costs. 
• Starting July 1, 2009, new Energy Star qualified clothes washers use less than half the water of conventional models and must be at least 43 percent more energy efficient.

Green doesn’t have to be expensive. The price premium of Energy Star qualified washers is around $300. If the old washer is at least 10 years old, the average family would begin to see the return on that investment in about two years. When you consider the lifetime utility bill savings, the incremental cost for Energy Star for even a low-end washer makes sense.

To drive these points home, the U.S. Department of Energy has launched the Energy Star Make a Clean Change campaign. The campaign Web site, www.energystar.gov/recycle, features a clothes washer calculator to help remodelers and consumers determine the costs of keeping an old washer and the savings from upgrading to Energy Star. The latest information on rebates and tax incentives will help you guide your customers to all the savings opportunities in your state.

Check to be sure that your local store recycles appliances. If not, avoid the dump fees and take the unit to a local recycling facility yourself. Visit the campaign Web site to find a facility in your area.

Upgrade to Energy Star and Save

Measure	Average Annual Utility Bill Savings*	Price Range for Energy Star® Qualified Models	Price Range for Non-Qualified Models
Replace a pre-1993 clothes washer with a new ENERGY STAR qualified model	$111	$430 - $1,700	$220 - $780
Replace a pre-1993 refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR qualified model	$50	$400 - $5,000	$300 - $5,000
Replace a pre-1993 freezer with a new ENERGY STAR qualified model	$38	$300 - $1,200	$170 - $1,000
Replace a pre-2004 gas storage water heater with a new ENERGY STAR qualified gas storage model	$64	$785 - $1,085	$715 - $1,015
Replace a pre-1994 dishwasher with a new ENERGY STAR qualified model	$42	$170 - $1,750	$160 - $450
	* Actual savings depend on local utility rates

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About the Author: Lani MacRae is the ENERGY STAR Communications Manager for the U.S. Department of Energy

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