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Recycle Your Old Clothes Washer; Replace When Needed with ENERGY STAR®
 
Has your clothes washer been around for years? You've had it so long, it sounds like a marching band when it runs?
 
There's no better time than the present to recycle your time-worn clothes washer. If your washer is more than 10 years old, you're paying about $145 more each year on your utility bill than you would if you owned a new, ENERGY STAR qualified model. You're also wasting 30 gallons of water per load of laundry--equivalent to almost two times the amount of water used in an average shower.
 
In addition to the immediate energy and water savings from unplugging your old unit, some utilities, cities, and counties are paying consumers to get their old washers off the grid, and to properly recycle the steel and other materials they contain. You may also be able to take advantage of rebates on new energy-efficient appliances in the coming months, thanks to federal stimulus funds. Visit the ENERGY STAR Make a Clean Change: Recycle Your Old Clothes Washer Campaign at www.energystar.gov/recycle to find recycling options and learn about rebates and special deals in your area.
 
When you go searching for a new unit, be sure to look for the blue ENERGY STAR label. Every major appliance manufacturer sells ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers, which are 40 percent more energy and water efficient than the minimum federal energy standard. That means that purchasing an ENERGY STAR qualified model over a conventional model will save you an average of $50 a year on your utility bills. Over the life of your new washer, you'll save enough money to pay for the matching dryer.
 
Other plusses: new ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers are easier on your clothes, have larger capacities, and use less detergent than their conventional counterparts. Perhaps best of all, ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers use less energy, helping us reduce our contribution to global climate change. By reducing water consumption, they also help protect our lakes, streams, and oceans.
 
To get the best performance from your machine, use the recommended amount of high-efficiency laundry detergent. For the greatest energy savings, fill the washer to capacity and use cold water whenever you can.
 
ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that helps individuals and businesses save energy and protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Learn more at www.energystar.gov.
 

The U.S. Department of Energy announces the ENERGY STAR® Make a Clean Change: Recycle Your Old Washer Campaign. Found at www.energystar.gov/recycle, this campaign encourages consumers to properly recycle their inefficient clothes washers and, when needed, replace them with new ENERGY STAR qualified models.

Why? Because clothes washers manufactured before 1999 use more than 4 times the energy of today's ENERGY STAR qualified models. These inefficient units waste 30 gallons of water per load of laundry--equivalent to almost two times the amount of water used in an average shower. An estimated 84.1 million households have a top-loading washer; 24 million of these are ten years old or older. Combined, the inefficient appliances use $9 billion per year in energy and water costs.

Please spread the word by sharing the article below with your friends and family. 

A complementary effort to recycle inefficient refrigerators and freezers is also in progress. Thank you for your continued support of ENERGY STAR.

Performance specifications for ENERGY STAR-labeled office equipment

Office equipment labeled ENERGY STAR often must be more efficient than nonlabeled equipment when in active operation as well as during periods of inactivity. In some cases, there are additional requirements.

Equipment	ENERGY STAR specifications
Computers	Require improved efficiency over all operation modes due to use of highly efficient power supplies. Automatically enter a low-power sleep mode within 30 minutes of inactivity.
Copiers	Require improved efficiency when the product is in use. Also power down when not in use to a low energy consumption level. Depending on the speed, may be required to print double-sided pages, reducing both copying and paper costs.
Fax machines	Require improved efficiency when the product is in use. Automatically power down after 5 minutes of inactivity. Combination printer/fax machines consume half as much energy when idle as two stand-alone products.
Laptops	Require improved efficiency over all operation modes due to use of highly efficient internal and external power supplies. If left inactive, enter a low-power mode and may use 15 watts or less.
Monitors	Require improved efficiency when they are in active mode. Use 2 watts or less in sleep mode and 1 watt or less in off mode. Use up to 85 percent less electricity than standard models.
Multifunction devices	Offer copying as well as printing, faxing, scanning, and/or other capabilities. Automatically power down after 15 to 60 minutes of inactivity, depending on equipment speed. May require automated duplexing, depending on the speed.
Printers	Require improved efficiency when the product is in use. Automatically power down after 5 to 60 minutes of inactivity, depending on equipment speed. May require automated duplexing, depending on the speed.
Scanners	Require improved efficiency when the product is in use. Automatically power down after 15 minutes when not in use.
Source: EPA

MaxximaStyle offers a wide range of LED Lighting covering the transportation, interior, industrial, emergency and personal lighting markets.

LED lamps are revolutionizing the lighting market and applications since they emit a very intense glow which is brighter than incandescent lighting.

They consume one-tenth the power consumption of conventional bulbs and due to their long lifetime, rated at 100,000 hours, LED lamps severely cut down on bulb replacement activity resulting in huge power and labor savings.

 LEDs emit negligible amounts of heat -- thus, cutting down on expensive heat shield installations and in the case of interior lighting air conditioning requirements. The incandescent light bulb is on its way to becoming a relic as the gas lanterns it replaced more than a century ago.

www.maxximastyle.com

According to the study, "Does Green Pay Off?," ENERGY STAR rated commercial buildings have sale prices 30% per sq. ft. higher than traditional buildings.

Compared to traditional buildings, owners and managers of ENERGY STAR rated buildings can expect

• $2 per sq. ft. greater rents,
• 2% higher occupancy rates and
• $0.54 per sq. ft. lower energy-related operating costs

Operating expenses from energy costs varied with Energy Star-rated buildings running $1.27 per square foot per year for energy in 2006 and non-Energy Star-rated buildings running $1.81 per square foot.

Survey results are based on findings in a study released last week. Norm Miller, a professor at the University of San Diego, and Jay Spivey and Andy Florance, the research director and CEO respectively with CoStar. They compared 223 ENERGY STAR rated Class A office buildings of at least 200,000 sq. ft. with 2,077 non-ENERGY STAR buildings of the same class and size.

Buildings with the ENERGY STAR label are among the 25% most efficient of similar buildings nationwide.

Creative art event by EPA and DOE spreads the word about refrigerator energy recycling

If Americans replaced pre-1993 refrigerators with ENERGY STAR models, the saved energy could generate enough power for more than 8.1 million homes yearly.

An easy way for Americans to lower their electricity consumption would be to recycle that old second refrigerator or freezer, or to replace their current unit with a new ENERGY STAR unit.

ART Show Brings Cool Attention to Recycling Fridges!

Here's an idea for your community:

Up to 50 decorated refrigerators will be on display at the The Art of Recycling: The Coolest Show in Town, a special exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Exhibition visitors can vote on a favorite model. A panel of judges will select the top three entries based on the following criteria: coolest; best use of recycled materials; overall creativity; and best portrayal of the campaign theme - The Art of Recycling.

Source: US Department of Energy

Technical Specs for Energy Star Qualified Homes

Homes built under 2001 T-24 code had until December 31, 2006 to complete construction.

All homes completed on or after January 1, 2007 must be 15% more energy efficient than the latest T-24 code (2005 T-24). Homes that were enrolled in a utility rebate program by December 31, 2005 had until January 1, 2007 to be qualified using the old ENERGY STAR guidelines. All homes enrolled in a program after January 1, 2006 must be qualified using the new guidelines and have a Thermal Bypass Checklist inspection. However, for the period January 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007, homes in this category will not be denied the ENERGY STAR label due to non-compliance with requirements of this additional inspection. As of July 1, 2007, these homes must pass the Thermal Bypass Inspection to earn the ENERGY STAR label.

The current ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes guidelines require that homes be 15% more energy efficient than the code under which they are permitted and be inspected by a CEC certified third party HERS rater. Sampling is allowed and shall follow the CEC HERS protocols.

Energy Star Qualified Homes Guidelines

The ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes guidelines requirements also include:

• Verification of adherence to the EPA ENERGY STAR Thermal Bypass Checklist/CEC Quality Installation Insulation merged protocols.
• All cooling equipment shall be sized according to the latest editions of the ACCA Manuals J and S, ASHRAE 2001 Handbook of Fundamentals, or the equivalent computation procedure.
  • Maximum oversizing of air conditioners is 15%.
  • Equipment oversizing calculations shall use 99.0% and 1.0% outdoor design temperatures as published in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals for most representative city. However, a prevailing outdoor design temperature used by the local HVAC industry that can be documented with available weather data is an acceptable alternative. The Indoor temperature shall be 75ºF for cooling and 70ºF for heating.
  • Infiltration rate shall be selected as tight.
  • Indoor and outdoor coils shall be matched in accordance with ARI standards.
• Ductwork leakage must be less than 6 cfm to outdoors per 100 square feet of conditioned space, though duct leakage tests can be waived if ducts and equipment are located in conditioned space and the home's envelope leakage is less than 0.25 CFM 50 per square foot of building envelope. (Meeting T-24 tight duct standard of 6% or less leakage of total air flow satisfies this requirement.)

Additional requirements bulleted above can be used to achieve the 15% performance margin. EPA also recommends, but does not require, that ductwork be located in conditioned space with a minimum of R-4 insulation to prevent condensation and moisture problems. Updated on February 28, 2007

FURTHER INFORMATION:

California Building Performance Contractors Association

CBPCA trains and certifies contractors for a better approach to energy efficiency, safety, comfort, and value. California Building Performance Association is a non-profit organization supporting energy efficiency and the residential contracting industry.

Utility Company Programs for Energy Star Ratings

Advanced Home Program by Southern California Gas Company

Performance Programs. Projects qualify when they exceed 2005 Title-24 compliance by 15%. California Energy Star® New Homes Program SoCal Gas Company

Advanced Home Program by San Diego Gas & Electric

The California ENERGY STAR® New Homes Program is a performance based program designed to encourage builders to construct single family and multi-family buildings that are energy efficient. San Diego Gas & Electric

SoCal Edison

California Energy Star New Homes Program Recognized as a National Leader in building conservation. SoCal Edison

PG&E ENERGY STAR® Qualified New Homes Program

PG&E works with builders to ensure that ENERGY STAR New Homes exceed California's rigorous energy efficiency PG&E

HP's got the industry's first, along with smart ways to put the cool on energy costs from the den to the desktop and datacenter. With a goal to reduce our global energy use 20 percent by 2010, HP is helping by greening their products.

By making environmental responsibility an engineering priority, HP has been able to design high-performance systems that are built to last, yet put efficiency first.

ENERGY STAR® qualified HP products:

• HP computers
• HP monitors
• HP televisions
• HP printing and imaging products

Green Computer Features from HP

The HP business desktop PCs have sleep settings preset to save power when not in use and adjustable fan speeds to maximize operating efficiency -- so don't turn these green features off!

They also include temperature sensors to monitor heat output and fan use, helping maintain the life of your desktop.

HP's new desktop PC's with 80% efficient power supplies are so ahead of the curve they actually beat the July 2007 deadline set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its tougher new ENERGY STAR® 4.0 standards.

In the average commercial office building, as much as 15 percent of the energy bill is driven by technology-product power supplies. The optional 80% efficient power supplies for select HP business desktop PCs reduce wasted power and deliver significantly more efficiency than previous power supplies.

HP flat panel monitors meet demanding emissions, ergonomic and environmental guidelines set by TCO 03 for quality and environmental certification, as well as European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHs) directives for materials. They include advanced power management features that comply with current ENERGY STAR guidelines. HP and World Wildlife Fund-US (WWF-US) conduct a joint initiative to reduce HP's greenhouse gas emissions from its operating facilities worldwide, educate and inspire others to adopt best practices, and use HP technology in conservation efforts around the world.

HP's got the industry's first, along with smart ways to put the cool on energy costs from the den to the desktop and datacenter. With a goal to reduce our global energy use 20 percent by 2010, HP is helping by greening their products.

By making environmental responsibility an engineering priority, HP has been able to design high-performance systems that are built to last, yet put efficiency first.

ENERGY STAR® qualified HP products:

• HP computers
• HP monitors
• HP televisions
• HP printing and imaging products

Green Computer Features from HP

The HP business desktop PCs have sleep settings preset to save power when not in use and adjustable fan speeds to maximize operating efficiency -- so don't turn these green features off!

They also include temperature sensors to monitor heat output and fan use, helping maintain the life of your desktop.

HP's new desktop PC's with 80% efficient power supplies are so ahead of the curve they actually beat the July 2007 deadline set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its tougher new ENERGY STAR® 4.0 standards.

In the average commercial office building, as much as 15 percent of the energy bill is driven by technology-product power supplies. The optional 80% efficient power supplies for select HP business desktop PCs reduce wasted power and deliver significantly more efficiency than previous power supplies.

HP flat panel monitors meet demanding emissions, ergonomic and environmental guidelines set by TCO 03 for quality and environmental certification, as well as European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHs) directives for materials. They include advanced power management features that comply with current ENERGY STAR guidelines. HP and World Wildlife Fund-US (WWF-US) conduct a joint initiative to reduce HP's greenhouse gas emissions from its operating facilities worldwide, educate and inspire others to adopt best practices, and use HP technology in conservation efforts around the world.

Suppliers and Purchasers of Energy Star products now have an on line bulk purchase exhange site.

Energy Star is a trusted name in the energy conservation arena. Appliances and supplies are developed with realistic, yet sustainable goals to help reduce energy use.

ENERGY STAR and the U.S. Department of Energy have developed a new on-line tool that can reduce costs for facilities and operations.

This new on-line tool, found at www.quantityquotes.net, is available to help organizations become more energy-efficient by making it easier to purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products.

This Quantity Quotes tool was designed so that bulk-quantity purchasers can easily request price quotes from a wide variety of suppliers, exclusively of ENERGY STAR qualified products.

What Products Are Available?

• ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs
• ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures
• ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washers
• ENERGY STAR qualified dehumidifiers
• ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers
• ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators
• ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioners

Energy Star Suppliers Can Register

Suppliers can register to receive information requests from purchasers. After corresponding with purchasers and providing requested information, a purchaser can contact a supplier in order to negotiate a contract.

Energy Star Purchasers Can Research Online

Purchasers can register to instantly contact suppliers of ENERGY STAR qualified products. Guidance is provided to assist purchasers in the Request for Information (RFI) process. After corresponding with a supplier and receiving requested information, the purchaser can choose to contact a supplier in order to negotiate a contract.