Water Conservation in the Home Janie L. Harris, M.Ed., CRS Extension Housing and Environment Specialist Family and Consumer Sciences phone: 979-845-3850 fax: 979-845-6496 http://fcs.tamu.edu

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home A typical family uses 60–80 gallons of water per person per day. That’s 240–320 gallons for a family of four for one day.

Show visual: Picture of 300 gallons of water

As our population increases, increases in the amount of water used has overburdened municipal and private sewage treatment systems in many areas. In other areas, water is becoming a scarce commodity. There is actually a limit on the amount of water that is available for our use. In some areas, the cost for water has increased drastically. How much are you willing to pay for your water? To get a better understanding of how do we use water inside the home, let’s play a game to see just how much water you need in one day.

Game: How much water do you use in one day?

Let’s look at the amount and percentage of water used for different household activities by a typical family.

Show visual: Typical Single Family Home Use

The largest water users are the shower, clothes washer and toilets, accounting for about two-thirds of the water used in an average household. Toilets use up to 27% of the household water supply while clothes washers use 20.9% and showers account for 17.3%. Faucets account for about 15.3% and leaks account for 13.8% of a family’s water use. Dishwashers, baths, and other account for the remaining water use. As you can see, about 72.5 gallons of water are used by each family member each day. By implementing conservation practices and installing water conserving equipment, a family can reduce their water use per person per day to 49.6 gallons of water or less.

Show visual: With Conservation Game 2: optional activity

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 1

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home In order to conserve water in the home, we must THINK conservation, adjust current equipment for maximum efficiency, repair all leaks, install more efficient equipment, and even think of waterless ways to complete some tasks.

Show visual: To Conserve Water in the Home 1. Think About It—Change Behavior 2. Use equipment to maximize efficiency 3. Repair leaks 4. Install more efficient equipment 5. Use waterless ways to complete tasks

Because such a huge percentage of the water we use is in the bathroom, that’s where water conservation efforts inside the home might begin. The 1992 Energy Policy and Conservation Act sets limits on water and energy consumed by appliances and fixtures. It requires all shower heads, bathroom and kitchen faucets and replacement bathroom and kitchen aerators made after January 1, 1994 to have flow rates of 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) or lower.

Show visual: 1992 Energy Policy and Conservation Act

In newer homes, or homes where faucets, toilets, or shower heads have been replaced with water conserving plumbing fixtures, the focus might need to be on attitudes toward water conservation.

Showers Older showers may use from 2–10 gallons of water per minute fully opened. Newer shower heads use about 2–3 gallons per minute. The shower heads designed to use less water differ in spray patterns, mounting and functions.

Show a comparison of 1 gallon vs. 10 gallons that one would use per minute in shower.

Many people step away from the water in the shower when shampooing or soaping. Many water saving shower heads come with a button to shut off the flow without changing the mix of hot and cold water. Simply taking shorter showers will reduce your use of water.

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 2

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home Taking short showers rather than a bath will reduce water usage. A four minute shower can use as little as 8 gallons of water, while a full bath requires 36–50 gallons of water. Most low-flow shower heads offer selections for spray patterns. Others offer settings that provide a very low flow for shampooing.

Show samples of various types of shower heads.

Spray patterns vary from mist, sharp, wide, to massage or pulsating. Some are available on a flexible hose and can be mounted on a bracket attached to the pipe, allowing the shower head to be hand-held. Cost can range from $4 to $80. The payback depends on the size of your household and the number and length of showers.

Toilets Under the new Federal standard for water use, new toilets must meet a 1.6 gallon water limit per flush. Old toilets, especially those more than 10–15 years old, may use three or more gallons per flush.

Show visual: Show samples of water comparisons. 1.6 gallons vs. 5 gallons

There are two types of toilets available—pressure assisted and wash down or gravity-flush. The pressure-assisted toilets generally perform better than gravity-flush, but they are louder. The noise lasts about 10 seconds. The pressure-assisted toilets generally remove solid waste and limit odor and soil problems better than gravity flow models.

Discussion of types of toilets and pros and cons of new vs. old. Get pictures from Lowes, Home Depot, etc. that sell toilets.

The most important feature is how the toilet performs in removing solid waste. If you have to flush the toilet two or three times to remove the waste, it is not going to save water. Toilets that have water fully covering most of the inner bowl are more likely to have less odor and soiling problems because they will submerge the waste completely. Gravity flow toilets tend to clean the bowl and wash down the bowl’s walls during the flush, but may have poor rim wash-down. One technique to use with the water conserving gravity flow toilets is to hold the lever down for 5 seconds to allow the tank to empty enough water into the bowl.

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 3

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home If your sewer drain system blocks often, have it cleaned out before you install a low-flow toilet. The toilet will function better if it has little resistence in the sewer drain line. If you have an older toilet, it will use three to seven gallons per flush. To reduce the amount of water in the tank, displace some of the water. A plastic bottle filled with water would be one example. Any object placed in the tank should not release or leak particles or materials into the tank. Never use a brick in the tank unless it is contained in a plastic bag. The object placed in the tank should not interfere with any of the mechanisms or tank operations. Other methods that can be used are devices purchased to go inside the toilet tank such as the toilet dam, early closure flapper or a dual flusher.

Show a brick sample and illustrate how the particles can be brushed off.

The toilet dam partitions off a section of the tank. The early closure flapper seals the valve between the tank and toilet before the water has all drained from the tank. The dual flusher has two levers from which to choose. One lever provides a normal flush and the other a mini-flush for liquid waste.

Show visual: Toilet dam Early closure flapper seal Dual flusher

Show a quart plastic bottle filled with water and show how it is smooth and that no particles can be brushed off into the tank.

Adjusting the float in older models to shut off the fill at a lower tank level is another option. Lowering the flow in existing older toilets can affect their performance in moving solid waste from the bowl and through the drains. Always be sure that at least 3 gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly. Avoid unnecessarily flushing your toilet. Never use it as a wastepaper basket to dispose of cigarette butts or tissue paper.

Faucets and Pipes Faucet aerators restrict the amount of water going through your faucet by up to 50 percent, but add bubbles so the flow of water appears the same.

Show visual: Comparison of water flow with and without aerator

Devices to shut off automatically after a length of time are available. Faucets with motion sensors will reduce water use. Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 4

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home Leaky Faucets and Pipes and Toilets Leaking faucets and pipes are the other big culprit for consuming water. Leaking faucets can lose gallons of water, as much as 20 gallons or more per day.

Show visual: Picture of a dripping faucet and/or a pipe joint leaking.

Leaky pipes not only waste water, but damage wood and may create stains and rusting, resulting in loss of other types of resources. Leaky toilets, even though they may be silent, can waste many gallons of water per day. To find out if your toilet has leaks, put a little food coloring in the tank. If without flushing, color appears in the bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired.

Clothes Washers The other big user of water in families is the clothes washer. The total water used in laundering one load of clothes ranges from 20 to 57 gallons. It is critical that you use the appropriate water level for the size load of laundry. This can insure the most efficient use of water if you cannot replace the washing machine.

Show visual: Pictures of newer style front loading washers, Maytag Neptune

Some machines have a suds-saver system. Hot, sudsy water is pumped into a storage tub and later returned to the washer with added hot water and detergent for a second use. Front-loading machines use less water to wash the same load than top-loading machines. Front-loading washers fill to just below the door opening. Textiles and items tumble in and out of the water for cleaning. Front-loading washers use less detergent, electricity and water (typically 20 to 28 gallons for front-loading model, compared to 45 gallons in a top-loading wash cycle). New high efficiency machines use 50–60 percent less electricity, 40–50 percent less water, and are reported to be more effective in cleaning action, according to studies by the US Department of Energy, and by water and waste-water utilities. Also up to 30 percent more water is removed in spinning, reducing the drying cycle and saving energy.

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Show visual: Energy Star® Handout: Fact Sheet on Energy Star® Appliances

Page 5

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home Dishwashing Scrape dishes rather than rinse. If washing by hand, catch water in sink and rinse in sink rather than leave water running from tap. Wash full loads in the automatic dishwasher. Use appropriate cycle for type of cleaning needed. Cut down on the number of utensils used in food preparation and serving.

Show visual: Table that shows • Hand washing dishes with tap running • Hand washing dishes – water-saver method • Automatic dishwasher – full load

Behaviors That Affect Amount of Water Used Let’s look at comparisons of water use when different practices are implemented. Brushing teeth can take up to 2 gallons of water if the tap is left running during the brushing versus 1 pint to wet brush, turn off faucet, and rinse briefly.

Show visual: Brushing teeth

Shaving can take up to 5 gallons if the tap is left running versus 1 gallon to fill basin, and then turn on faucet briefly to wet cloth to rinse at the end.

Show visual: Shaving

Can you think of other times and ways to conserve water in your home by simply changing the way you do things? We have talked a lot about REDUCING the amount of water used in a home by a family. Other ways to use our water more efficiently are to REUSE water that you use and to RECYCLE water that you use in your home. Let’s discuss ways that we can reuse water in our daily activities: 1. Peel vegetables and place in a bowl of water to rinse. Use rinse water to water household plants. 2. Let small children use the same bath water. 3. Others

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Show visual: Water Conservation means only using as much water as is “absolutely” needed.

Discussion: (write ideas on a flipchart....) Ways to reuse water:

Page 6

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home How are some ways to recycle water? 1. 2. 3. 4.

Septic system water can be used to surface irrigate landscape Rainwater catchment for gray water use in the house Rainwater catchment for watering landscape Others

What are you willing to do to insure a sufficient supply of quality water for future generations? What will you do to conserve water?

Discussion: (write ideas on a flipchart....) Ways to recycle water:

Evaluation Questionnaire

Suggested follow-up educational programs: 1. How to repair a leaky faucet, a toilet, and leaking pipes • http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1568.htm • http://www.clemson.edu/psapublishing/PAGES/FYD/HL222.pdf • http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=howTo&p=HTindex/plumbing_index.html&rn=Rig htNavFiles/rightNavPlumbing 2. Energy Star® http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product. 3. Water Quality 4. Newspaper column and/or radio program on Water Conservation Tips http://www.hpwd.com/conservation/urban.asp 5. Texas Water Savers http://twri.tamu.edu/newsletters_view.php?nl=water_savers 6. Environmental Protection Agency http://www.energystar.gov/

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 7

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry

Water Conservation in the Home Resources: Web: http://lubbock.tamu.edu/irrigate/homegarden.php http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/ “Home A Syst – An Environmental Risk-Assessment Guide for the Home,” Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service, Ithaca, NY, 14853-5701. (607) 255-7654. “Water Conservation Checklist for the Home,” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, B-1459. “Homeowner’s Guide to Water Use and Conservation,” Texas Water Development Board. “Forty-Nine Water Saving Tips,” Texas Water Development Board. “Saving Water Inside the Home,” Texas Water Development Board. “Home Water Quality Problems – Causes and Treatments,” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, L-2279. “Home Water Treatment Systems,” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, L-2280. “Hard Water – To Soften or Not to Soften,” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, L-2277. “Drinking Water and Health,” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, B-1655.

This educational program packet has been prepared by Janie L. Harris, M.Ed., CRS, Extension Housing and Environment specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System, September, 1999. Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 8

300 Gallon Container

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 9

How Much Water Do You Use? Game 1 How many gallons of water do you use in one day? How much will it cost at $1.00/gallon?

Activity

Total gallons for activity for one day

Water to wash 1 load of clothes – 55 gallons 3 toilet flushes – 15 gallons Brushing teeth – 3 gallons Shaving – 4 gallons Shower – 40 gallons ( 4 minutes) Tub bath – 36 gallons Dishwashing by hand with tap running to rinse – 20 gallons Automatic Dishwasher – 15 gallons Other activities - car washing, etc. TOTALS

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 10

Cost

How Much Less Water Can You Use? Game 2

If you change some of your behavior, use your equipment efficiently, and install water saving equipment you may be able to complete your daily tasks using less water and therefore less cost. Activity

Amount used with water-saver method

Shower – 4 minute

2–5 gallons /minute

Tub bath

10–12 gallons low level

Toilet flush – 3

1.6 gallons per flush

Brushing teeth

1 pint – wet brush, turn off faucet, rinse with cup, rinse brush

Shaving

1 gallon to fill basin, rinse briefly

Dishwashing

6 gallons – wash, rinse in pan or sink

Clothes Washer – 1 load

28 gallons per load, front loading, regular wash

Automatic Dishwasher

Adjust water level to load size or wait for full load 5.5 to 20 gallons

Total gallons

TOTALS

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 11

Total cost per day

Game Instructions

Game 1:

How Much Water Do You Use?

Handout to participants and ask them to get their total gallons used per day. Divide the number of loads of laundry per week by the number of family members and 7 days. Select the dishwashing method that they actually use. The gallons for dishwashing can be divided by the number of family members per day. Example: If there are 5 family members and the automatic dishwasher is run once a day, their apportionment is 4 gallons or if it is run twice a day, their portion is 8 gallons. Calculate a total amount of water and the cost of water used.

Game 2:

How Much Less Water Can You Use?

This activity illustrates how a person can do more activities for the same amount of money, or do the same activities for less money when changing behavior, or installing water efficient equipment.

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 12

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 13

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 14

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 15

Think About It!

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Install more efficient equipment

Use equipment to maximize efficiency

Waterless ways to complete tasks

Repair Leaks

Page 16

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 17

One gallon water compared to 10 gallons used per minute in a shower

VS

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 18

1.6 gallons

VS

5 gallons

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 19

Toilet Displacement Devices

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 20

Without an Aerator

With an Aerator

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 21

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 22

Front Loading Washing Machine

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 23

http://www.energystar.gov

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 24

Water Use Equipment/Practice

Amount Used – Ranges

Amount Used with WaterSaver Method – Estimates

Shower

2 to 10 gallons per minute (gpm)

2 to 5 gallons per minute

Tub Bath

36 gallons full tub

10–12 gallons low level

Toilet Flush

3 to 7 gallons per flush or lowflush devices

1.5 to 5 gallons per flush using tank displacement

Brushing Teeth

2 gallons tap running

1 pint to wet brush, turn off facet, rinse briefly

Shaving

3 to 5 gallons tap running

1 gallon to fill basin, rinse briefly

Dishwashing

20 gallons tap running

2 to 8 gallons to wash, rinse in pan or sink

Clothes Washer

40 to 57 gallons per load, top loading, regular wash

28 gallons per load, front loading, regular wash. Set water level to size of load

Automatic Dishwasher

15 gallons per full load

5.5 to 20 gallons per full load

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 25

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 26

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 27

Water Conservation Questionnaire After attending the program on water conservation, please indicate what you plan to do in your home to reduce the amount of water you use. Action 1.

Not Likely

Likely

Will Do

Make an effort to conserve water by changing some of my activities.

2. Work with my household members to find ways to conserve water. 3. Do an inventory of all faucets and pipes and check for leaks. 4. Repair all leaks. 5.

Check to see if shower head meets 1992 Energy Policy and Conservation Act mandates.

6. Purchase and install a new shower head to meet new flow restrictions. 7.

Check to see if toilet is a low flush (1.6 gal. per flush).

8. Either purchase a new toilet or find ways to reduce flush volume if my current toilet is a 3.5 gal. per flush. 9. Install faucet aerators to reduce the flow of water from faucets. 10. Look for water saving equipment the next time I purchase a washing machine or dishwasher. 11. Reuse some of the water I use. 12. Investigate ways to recycle water that is used in the house.

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 28

Comments:

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Don’t Let the Faucet Run Dry — Water Conservation in the Home Family and Consumer Sciences • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Page 29

ENERGY STAR® Appliances What is an Energy Star® Appliance?

ENERGY STAR®-labeled appliances save you money by using less electricity and water than other appliances. Better

The Energy Star® may be found on clothes

appliance energy efficiency comes from

washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and

quality materials and technologically

room air conditioners. An appliance

advanced materials.

receives the Energy Star® rating if it is significantly more energy efficient than the

Although energy efficient models

minimum government standards, as

sometimes cost more to purchase initially,

determined by standard testing procedures.

any extra up-front cost can often be made

The amount by which an appliance must

up with savings on your utility bill. One

exceed the minimum standards is different

helpful way to figure out if buying an

for each product rated, and depends on

Energy Star® appliance makes sense for

available technology. Energy Star® rated

you is to think of two price tags.

products are always among the most efficient available today.

The first price tag is the purchase price that you pay at the store when you buy the appliance. Some local utilities offer rebates on the purchase and installation of Energy Star® rated appliances. If yours does, this would reduce the initial price. The second price tag is the cost to operate the appliance over its lifetime. You pay to operate the appliance every month for as long as you own the appliance. You might be surprised to see how much it can cost to own an appliance that seems like a good deal up front.

Energy Star® Appliances

1

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

What Does This Mean to You?

Energy Star® Clothes Washer

 Nearly 50 percent less water and 30% to 40% less energy used per load

Energy Star® clothes washers use superior designs that require less water to get clothes thoroughly clean. These machines use

 Washer design causes less wear and tear on clothes

sensors to match the hot water needs to the load, preventing energy waste.

 Bulky items such as blankets fit easily in the super capacity basket

There are two designs: top-loading and front-loading

 Better water extraction means less dryer time, for further energy savings

Both designs will get clothes cleaner and take better care of your fabrics, while using

A typical household does nearly 400 loads

less water and energy than standard

of laundry per year, using about 40 gallons

washing machines.

of water per full load with a conventional washer. In contrast, a full-size Energy Star®

Front-loading Energy Star® models are

clothes washer uses 20 to 25 gallons per

similar in design to washers used in

load. You could save as much as 7,000

laundromats. These horizontal-axis or

gallons of water per year. And, you are

tumble-action machines repeatedly lift and

saving all the energy that would have been

drop clothes, instead of moving clothes

needed to heat that water. This adds up to

around a central axis.

savings for you and a big boost for the environment.

How Do I Choose the Right Washer? Energy Star® clothes washers come in a range of capacities from about 1.6 cubic feet up to 2.9 cubic feet. A typical large-capacity washer, such as found in most households, is about 2.7 cubic feet. Because washers are most efficient when

Top-loading Energy Star® washers use

they are fully loaded, you should choose a

sensor technology to closely control the

size that most closely matches your laundry

incoming water temperature. To reduce

needs. For a family that does a lot of

water consumption, they spray clothes with

laundry, one of the larger models probably

repeated high-pressure rinses to remove

makes the most sense. For an individual or

soap residues rather than soaking them in a

couple who do less laundry, a small model

full tub of rinse water.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

will be the most economical.

2

Energy Star® Appliances

Some Energy Star® models can be stacked

federal standards for energy consumption

or mounted under a countertop. This is a

by at least 20%.

useful feature for people short on space, such as in an apartment dwellings. Check

Manual defrost refrigerators are not

with the manufacturer to see which models

covered under the Energy Star® program,

are available in this configuration.

but are generally more efficient than automatic defrost refrigerators. Proper

Energy Star® Refrigerators

maintenance of manual defrost refrigerators

The refrigerator is the single biggest power

is necessary to realize the energy savings.

consumer in most households. A typical

The Department of Energy offers tips on

refrigerator made around 1990 uses over

buying refrigerators and lowering the

900 kilowatt hours per year — that’s the

energy usage of your refrigerator.

same amount of energy you would use by leaving a 1,250 watt hair dryer on for a

Energy Star® Dishwashers

month! And the older your refrigerator is,

Energy Star® dishwashers

the more power it burns. Energy Star®

save by using both

refrigerators incorporate a number of

improved technology for

advanced features to save energy while

the primary wash cycle,

keeping your food fresh. To make a better

and by using less hot

refrigerator, manufacturers use:

water to clean. Construction includes



Better insulation



More efficient compressors



energy efficient motors, and other advanced technology such as sensors that determine the length of the washing cycle and the temperature of the water necessary to clean the dishes.

Improved heat transfer surfaces

A significant savings can be realized by 

More precise temperature and defrost mechanisms

minimizing the amount of hot water needed. Dishwashers use built-in electric heaters to heat water to a temperature hot enough to clean the dishes effectively. Energy Star® dishwashers minimize the

With improved insulation, the compressor

amount of water needed, saving the energy

needs to run less often. Since the

required to heat it in addition to other

compressor runs less often and therefore

efficiencies. Energy Star® Dishwashers

produces less heat while it is running, the

must exceed minimum federal standards by

kitchen remains cooler. This in turn reduces

at least 13%.

the need to air condition as much to maintain the same comfort level. Energy Star® refrigerators must exceed minimum Energy Star® Appliances

3

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Energy Star® Room Air Conditioners

condition a room than running a larger unit for a shorter time.

Energy Star® room air conditioners feature

What about Other Types of Appliances?

high-efficiency compressors, fan motors, and heat transfer surfaces.

Other appliance types are not currently covered by the Energy Star® program. However, it is always important to consider energy efficiency when purchasing any appliance. The Department of Energy offers guidelines and tips on purchasing Clothes Dryers, Ovens and Ranges, and Water In an air conditioner, the air is cooled when

Heaters.

it passes over the refrigerant coils which have fins, similar to an automobile radiator.

Also, be sure to read the Federal Trade

The compressor sends the cooled refrigerant

Commission's (FTC) publication, “Shopping

through the coils, and cools the air as it is

for Home Appliances? Use the

forced over the coils. By using advanced

EnergyGuide Label,” located on the FTC

heat transfer technologies, more of the heat

website at

from the air is transferred into the coils than

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0072-

in conventional models, saving energy

shopping-home-appliances-use-

required to compress the refrigerant.

energyguide-label for general information about shopping for an efficient appliance.

It is important to buy an air conditioner that is the correct size for the room. Air

Where Can I Get Appliances?

conditioners remove heat and humidity

Energy Star® appliances are carried by

from the air. Humidity is removed when

retailers nationwide. To see a list of all

the air in a room passes over the cooling

qualified products or to find specific models

coils of an air conditioner. If the unit is too

that qualify for the Energy Star® rating go

large, it will cool the room quickly, but only

to Energy Star® website at

remove a portion of the humidity. This

http://www.energystar.gov/.

leaves the room with a damp, clammy feeling to the air, since the air will not have been circulated enough. A properly sized

Adapted from “Energy Star Appliances,” Environmental Protection Agency, by Janie L. Harris, M.Ed., CRS, Extension Housing and Environment Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System, October 1999. Updated March 2008.

unit will remove humidity effectively as it cools. Running a smaller unit for a longer time will use less energy to completely

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

4

Energy Star® Appliances