Why new appliances matter/Biggest energy culprits in any home

The simple answer is improved technology, but keep it in prospective when considering appliance energy tips. Replacing a three year old dishwasher won’t have a huge impact – putting a 12 year old refrigerator out to pasture will, though. Any major appliance that is over a decade old is due for retirement. Just changing out these older units for ENERGY STAR models has the potential to cut electricity use by half.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the one appliance that uses by far the most energy after heating and cooling equipment is the hot water heater. This means the appliances that rely on hot water, such as the dishwasher, are costing you even more. The best move you can make when upgrading your water heater is to switch to an energy efficient or tankless model. From there, the next major appliance putting a dent in the electricity is the clothes dryer with the refrigerator coming in at a close second.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this is how the numbers break down for the average home. These figures assume your home has newer appliances, however. The numbers would shift dramatically if the refrigerator or freestanding freezer were 15 years old, for example.
• Water heater – 2400 kWh for a family of two
• Clothes dryer – 1000 kWh
• Refrigerator – 600 kWh
• Dishwasher – 300 kWh
• Clothes washer – 200 kWh

Visit our website often to keep up to date on appliance energy tips.

Electrolux AB agrees to buy GE

electrolux-logo-1024x136ge-logo-retroThis purchase is the Stockholm based company’s biggest yet! This deal makes Electrolux a major player in synergies.  Bringing together top brands such as Hotpoint, Frigidaire and Zanussi.  It is estimated that the Companies annual revenue is expected to exceed 22.5 billion. The Swedish company’s chief executive, Keith McLoughlin, said in an interview that a chief attraction of the deal is GE’s top position selling to home builders in the U.S. Electrolux has only a small share of that market and has been trying to expand it.  Electrolux will retain the GE brand, positioning it as a midrange brand between the mass-market Frigidaire and high-end Electrolux models.  Dominating the North American market for appliances;  Electrolux will be going “head to head” with Whirlpool, making it so that each controls around 40% of the “white goods” industry in that region. It is reported that GE wants to focus on the very profitable industrial areas of aviation and gas moving ahead, and this sale helps promote that long held ambition of the company. On a side note, Whirlpool agreed to pay more than $1 billion this summer to acquire a majority stake in the Italian company Indesit. The purchase would roughly double Whirlpool’s business in Europe.  Electrolux will be a more vigorous competitor. The transaction is expected to close next year. Electrolux expects to extract $300 million in annual cost savings from combining the businesses. All in all, the immense complexity of the appliance world has now changed.