As people learn more about how their actions impact their local environment, more people are making green choices. Most everybody makes a point to recycle, to turn the lights off when leaving a room, and to make other small environmentally-friendly choices in their daily activities.
If you’re ready to step up your green game, you need to hit the cause of power consumption in your home, your appliances. Your home’s appliances, and your heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system make the largest determination on how much power is used in your home, and how much of a carbon footprint your home has.
Your HVAC System and Energy Star
How do you know you have an efficient appliance or how do you know what to look for when shopping for a new air-conditioning unit? With Energy Star. Let’s learn more about the Energy Star program and how it relates to your home’s HVAC system.
What is Energy Star?
Energy Star is a government-run program that provides certifications to appliances, building materials, and other consumer products that meet a certain standard in energy efficiency. There are Energy Star rated windows, dishwashers, even roofs. The idea behind Energy Star is to reduce energy-guzzling appliances and materials in the US.
Energy Star in the HVAC World
In the HVAC world, appliances like air conditioning units, furnaces, and more can be Energy Star rated. What qualifies for certification depends on the product but all products must prove certain energy-efficiency thresholds, such as the amount of air cooled compared to power utilized to earn the Energy Star.
Discounts and Credits
Energy-Star appliances use much less energy than the standard appliance to do the same job, so any homeowner with Energy Star rated appliances is already looking at lower utility bills. Your local jurisdiction may also offer tax credits for the use of Energy-Star appliances. No matter how you look at it, Energy Star rated products will save you money in the end.
If you want an efficient HVAC system that goes easy on both your wallet and the local environment, you want an HVAC system that’s Energy Star certified. Talk to your HVAC company about installing an Energy Star rated system or look for the sticker the next time you go appliance shopping.
