Buzz, buzz, buzz, 2008 Energy Star Partners Awards are out today!

Today was the first day of “Tell The World You Received an ENERGY STAR Award Week”.  Newswires were buzzing with press releases from the big guns about the recognition they received from Department of Energy for their energy saving efforts in 2007.  Let’s break this down, and offer up an opinion on what it all really means… 

Each year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. Award winners will be recognized at the ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony on April 1, 2008 in Washington, DC.  

Winners are picked for categories such as New Homes, Energy Management, Service and Product Provider, Energy Efficiency Program Delivery, ENERGY STAR PROMOTION,  Efficient Affordable Housing, Excellence in Home Improvement, Retailer, and Product Manufacturer.   And No, you’re not the only one who doesn’t understand the categories.    Also, there are so many winners.  If you look at the 2007 ENERGY STAR winners there is hardly a category with only one winner.

This year it looks like there will be multiple winners per category again.  Announcements in the press today included:

• Pella – we covered their story in a separate article.
• Whirlpool- received a 3rd consecutive Sustained Excellence award for helping consumers reduce their utility bills and greehouse gas emissions.  Read the full Whirlpool news release.
• Lowes- was recognized in the Retail category.  (GetWithGreen would like to see Lowes make an effort to bring their eco-friendly story more visible.  The only fast way to find their story, is to look at the company site map!  How about it Lowes?   Will it be you, or Home Depot, that brings the green story out of the Footer of your site first?)
• GE Consumer & Industrial – also recognized for the 3rd year in a row, receiving a Sustained Excellence award.    Read the full GE new release.

How does all this help you during your remodel?  Digging deep for an answer on that, we do believe it gives the above companies a podium to highlight their most efficient products during the time of buzz.  For example, check out the Whirlpool release, or the GE news release link above and you will see mention of their greener appliances — all consolidated one page.  Very easy to find them in one shot!  

We’ll keep you posted on other announcements, and update this article as the week progresses!  Further, we will let you know what the EPA tells us about their process for selecting winners (we have a note out to them now!).

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APPLIANCES: Maytag EPICz Front-load Washer & Dryer now Available

On Friday, Maytag announced two new ENERGY STAR Washer & Dryers. Below is what Whirlpool (Maytag is now Whirlpool) has to say about these new laundy products, and their pricing…

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BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ — The legacy of Maytag(R) brand laundry continues with the new Maytag(R) EPIC z(TM) front-load washer and dryer. The versatile design of this space-saving, high-performance laundry system allows it to be installed virtually anywhere in the home.

Based on 100 years of dependable and proven innovations, the EPIC z laundry system features Read more

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Click here to see how much energy an appliance uses – before you buy!

When looking for new appliances (a refrigerator, water heater, clothes dryer, etc.), you can easily calculate how much energy one model will use over a competitive model.  Thus providing you with an answer of which will actually cost you more each day to use (and cost the environment).  This article provides you with the math equations to do it (note: you’ll need a copy of your electric bill):

Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use

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