Choose an appliance based on its purchase
price but also its "second price tag"– the
cost of the energy needed to run the appliance over its lifetime.
Read the EnerGuide label that is now required by law on every
major appliance.
Using EnerGuide
The EnerGuide label tells you quickly
how the appliance you're considering compares with other makes
and models.
The annual energy consumption of the appliance
in kilowatt hours. The lower the number, the better.
The energy consumption indicator shows you
how this model compares to others in its class. The bar
below the indicator gives the energy efficiency range for
this class of appliance. The further the indicator is to
the left end of the scale, the better.
This bar shows you the energy consumption
of the most and least efficient appliances in this class.
In this case, the most efficient comparable model consumes
564 kWh per year while the least efficient uses 972 kWh
per year.
This tells you the type and capacity range
of similar models compared.
