Thinking of switching to ENERGY STAR products? With the holidays fast approaching, you may be making some household upgrades to get ready for entertaining or even starting to think of some big-ticket items for your Christmas list! Whether that be a new dishwasher to clean up after your extended family or a mini fridge to curb the overflow of leftovers, new appliances may be in order!  

Picking out a new appliance can be intimidating with big price tags, transportation, and installation. The difference between the latest appliance advancements and technology from 20 years ago is striking. You’ll have an abundance of buying options from smart appliances to ENERGY STAR rated products to save energy and money.

What is ENERGY STAR

Saving energy is important, not just for your monthly hydro bill but for the environment too. ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing credible and unbiased information that consumers can use to make well-informed decisions. Look for ENERGYSTAR certified products on Danby’s website. They’re labelled with the energy star certified badge.

Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners have helped save $450 billion in energy costs, saved 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, and eliminated 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas according to the ENERGY STAR website. The program ensures that each product that earns the label is independently certified to deliver the efficiency performance and savings advertised.

Learn more about the ENERGY STAR Certification, how you earn the label, and more certified products on our blog Energy Star “Most Efficient” Danby Products. 

What Does an Energy Star Rating Mean? 

Air Purifiers – Are 40% more energy efficient than standard models saving consumers about 225 kWh/year and $30 annually on utility bills. These savings could add up to $235 over its lifetime! 

Dehumidifiers – Operates using nearly 15% less energy than a conventional unit. In fact, the annual energy saved by one of these models could power your ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator for nearly two months. 

Dishwashers – Are on average about 12% more energy efficient and 30% more water efficient than standard models. 

Dryers – Approximately 20% more energy efficient than standard models. These savings could add up to more than $200 over the lifetime of the product.  

Washers – The average family uses approximately 33% less water and 25% less energy for washing than regular models. Over the lifetime of the product, models that have earned the ENERGY STAR can save nearly $370 in energy costs. 

Freezers – Models that have earned the ENERGY STAR rating are at least 10% more energy efficient than the standard model. 

Refrigerators – ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators are about 9% more energy efficient than standard models. By properly recycling your old refrigerator and replacing it with a new ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator, you can save more than $200 over the 12-year lifetime of the product. 

How to Calculate the Payback of an ENERGY STAR product

Refrigerators run 24/7 and are some of the most significant energy users in a home, the payback from buying a Danby ENERGY STAR fridge will shock you! The ENERGY STAR program has a calculator that can calculate how much old your fridge or freezer costs to operate and how much you can save by upgrading to a ENERGY STAR model.  You will need to know how much you are paying for electricity in terms of cents per kilowatt- hour (kWh) and the approximate size and age of your fridge or freezer.

For example, say you own a 30-year 18 cubic foot fridge that has a top mounted freezer. If your cost of electricity is $0.160000 you will save $739.20 over 5 years,  1,644 lbs of carbon pollution over 5 years, and 10,509 lbs more of carbon pollution when you properly recycle your old refrigerator over 5 years.

A new ENERGY STAR certified Danby Designer 12.3 cu. ft. Apartment Size Refrigerator costs $800 (prices will vary). If you divide $800 (your upfront cost) by $147.84 (your annual savings) you get 5.4, which equals the years’ payback. So, in your fifth year of owning the fridge, you will have already paid for your new fridge through savings!

The calculator is in USD dollars so Canadian users will need to manually convert the inputted energy cost and the resulting saving amounts.

Check out all the Danby products that have received an ENERGY STAR rating here.

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