SiteSeeing: EPA launches Green Homes Web site

The federal government generally isn't typically known for its ability to make things simpler. Indeed, bureaucracy and streamlining seem oxymoronic terms.

So while its new Green Homes site is far from perfect, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deserves some kudos for making it easier for you to find information from the government on a wide range of green subjects. As someone who's spent countless hours surfing various federal sites for details for stories like "Cut Your Energy Bills" and others on our Energy Saving & Green Living guide, Green Homes is a welcome step in the right direction.

Green Homes targets the nation's 128 million households and brings together a lot of the same information from the EPA's main site and other federal agencies and it's organized around an interactive room-by-room navigational tool. Click on the kitchen, for example, and you'll find specifics on energy-efficient appliances and formaldehyde-free cabinets as well as links to related issues like water filtration, pest management, and mold.

The Top Green Home Terms glossary is a nice feature, allowing you to bone up on eco-friendly lingo like weatherization and learn the difference between, for instance, insulating concrete forms and structural insulated panels.

Green Homes isn't perfect—the interface is a bit cumbersome, and the repackaging of information results in some redundancies. But it's a lot more user friendly than the EPA's main site, which could make it easier for you to cut your energy use and adopt some green practices.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Get advice on a range of appliances and home systems and products by using our room-by-room Home Improvement Guide interactive. And if you're in the If you're in the market for new energy-efficient appliances or heating and cooling equipment, get up to speed on the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances.

Learn more about the Amish heater and EdenPure space heater

The calendar indicates that heating season is  upon us, but the Home & Garden blog team doesn't need to look at a thermometer or watch the Weather Channel to know it's starting to get colder here in the New York City metro area and elsewhere around the country.

Nope, all we've got to do is look at the traffic to and comments about heating appliances on the Home & Garden blog and ConsumerReports.org. Specifically, readers are looking for information about the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow Electric Fireplace (aka the Amish heater), EdenPure space heaters, and pellet stoves.

• If you're considering the Heat Surge appliance, read our review of the Amish heater as well as our post about some consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau. And remember, although Heat Surge claims its heaters will help you save on your heating bills, the only way to do so is to employ zone heating. (Note: According to a customer-service representative at Heat Surge, heaters made in 2009 were updated with a stronger blower and other changes affecting heat distribution. The company also says it plans to add a thermostat on future versions, possibly in 2010. The model we purchased and reviewed early this year might have incorporated some or all of the updates.)

• If you're pondering buying an EdenPure space heater, read "Are EdenPure Space Heaters Just a Lot of Hot Air?"
 
• If a pellet stove seems like a viable heating option, learn more about these appliances in our October 2009 report and our previous buyer's guide to pellet- and wood-burning stoves.

Essential information: "Don't Let Energy Savings Go Up and Out the Chimney" covers proven ways to save energy during heating season. And learn about space heaters, programmable thermostats, and weatherizing your attic. If you're in the market for new heating equipment, get up to speed on the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances.

The loads keep on spinning in the Consumer Reports washing-machine lab

The folks who test and rate washing machines for Consumer Reports have been doing a ton of laundry. Make that almost two tons over the past five months, as they measure the cleaning performance, water and energy efficiency, and other criteria of the machines in our continuously updated ratings of front-loaders and top-loaders (available to subscribers).

Among the washing machines we've recently covered for our Inside Consumer Tests Labs posts are the:

• Maytag MVWC6ES, which determines how much water is needed for a load;

• Estate ETW4400W, Whirlpool Cabrio WTW6500W, and Whirlpool Duet Sport WFW8400T, all of which proved tough on laundry;

• LG WM2010C[W], a real mover and shaker;

• Frigidaire FTW3014K[W], which automatically advances a load from the soak or prewash cycle to the wash and extra rinse cycles;

• LG SteamWasher WM2801H[W]A, which can hold a whopping 21 pounds of laundry; and

• Whirlpool Duet Steam WFW9750W[W] and Duet Sport WFW9150W[W] and Maytag Performance Series MHWE950W[W], which are designed to prevent laundry from developing an odor in case you've left it sitting in the washer.

As the testing continues for our February 2010 report on washing machines, we'd like you to tell us what you love and hate about your washer, speak about the features that matter most to you or seem superfluous, inform us of which cycles and detergent you use, and describe your dream machine. Leave your detailed comments below.—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out our free buyer's guides to washing machines and dryers and find the best laundry detergent. If you're in the market for new laundry appliances, learn about the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances.

Can newfangled utility bills persuade Americans to use less energy?

You've swapped out your old thermostats for programmable models, replaced inefficient incandescent lightbulbs with the best compact fluorescent lightbulbs, followed our advice for saving energy at home, weatherized your attic, and taken advantage of tax credits and other incentives for energy-related home improvements.

There are still other ways to squeeze some more energy savings out of your home, and your utility company might be able to help—not by giving you an energy audit or lowering your rates (like that'd ever happen!). Rather, some utilities nationwide are sending out new bills that show your energy use compares to those of your neighbors, with a goal of getting you to keep up (or is that down?) with the Joneses. See the image below for some of the detailed information customers receive.

National Grid is sending 50,000 of its Massachusetts customers bills (shown) with data showing how their gas and electricity consumption compares to the 100 nearest and 20 thriftiest households of similar size in the area, according to this Boston Globe report. "There's obviously a little bit of a competitive aspect to it, to see if you can one-up your neighbors in terms of energy savings,'' said Monica Ibrahim, program manager for the National Grid program, told the paper.

The bills also contain energy-saving tips to spur energy hogs to consume less. A nationally representative survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that 55 percent of respondents had done very little to conserve energy in their homes.

The technology for the consumption comparisons in these bills comes from Arlington, Virginia-based software company Opower, which has established partnerships with 21 utilities nationwide, including the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and Puget Sound Energy. "We're best known for use of behavioral science to show people how their energy usage compares to that of their neighbors," says Opower CEO Daniel Yates, whose company's software draws upon psychologist Robert B. Cialdini's theories of persuasion. National Grid hopes Opower-assisted bills will persuade customers to cut household energy consumption by 3 percent a year over the next decade. (Learn more about how the billing is designed to work.)

If your own utility still isn't using such high-tech bills, you might want to look into Google's PowerMeter or Microsoft's Hohm services or one of the watt meters we tested to ferret out energy-wasting appliances and practices.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential Information: Our Energy Saving & Green Living guide offers other advice, including updated coverage of the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances.

 

By the Numbers: Federal funding for weatherization eclipses cash for clunkers for appliances money

$4,728,750,000

Money allocated to the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program under the 2009 Recovery Act. To date, the program has doled out about half of its multibillion-dollar funding for a variety of weatherization projects, such as properly insulating an attic.

New York tops the WAP recipient list with $394,686,513, followed by Texas ($326,975,732), Pennsylvania ($252,793,062), Michigan (243,398,975), and Illinois ($242,526,619).

The nearly $5 billion is a boatload of money, but if spent wisely it could go a long way toward saving millions of Americans money and helping the environment. A recent report from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that residential energy use would decline by 22.5 percent if the roughly 120 million homes built before 2000 were made as efficient as those built since then.

Perhaps that potential significant impact explains why federal weatherization money so far exceeds that given to the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, also known as cash for clunkers for appliances. Visit the Energy Star Web site for information on special offers and rebates for appliances, heating and cooling equipment, water heaters, and the like, and find out how much money your state has available for rebates, weatherization programs, and more.

You'll find more information on other federal and state energy-efficiency programs on the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy Web site.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Our Energy Saving & Green Living guide can help you cut your carbon footprint and save money. Follow our overall advice for using less energy at home, and remember that some projects might qualify for federal tax credits.

By the Numbers: Energy Star homes reach major milestone

1 million

Number of Energy Star-qualified homes built nationwide since the program debuted in 1995. These homes have saved Americans $1.2 billion in energy costs, reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by 22 billion pounds, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The top 10 markets for Energy Star homes are Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York City, Tucson, San Antonio, Sacramento, and San Diego.

To qualify for Energy Star, says the EPA, a new home must be at least 15 percent more efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code and include other features that make them 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard home, such as effective insulation, high-performance windows, and efficient heating and cooling equipment, appliances, lighting, and ventilation. (The image below, from Energy Star, shows typical locations of air leaks in a home. Check out our recent Weekend Project on weatherizing your attic.)

"This is an amazing achievement for the Energy Star program, but the real winners are the 1 million American families who have the chance to save money and keep harmful pollution out of the air. That's great news for anyone who wants to cut costs and protect our planet," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in a press release. "We're going to keep the number of Energy Star homes growing, because every new Energy Star home is a step towards lower costs, cleaner air, and communities that are environmentally and economically sustainable."

To boost the energy efficiency of your home and save some real money, start with these simple, inexpensive steps and follow our overall advice for using less energy at home.—Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you haven't done so already, get your heating system tuned up and install a programmable thermostat. Also refer to our buyer's guides to furnaces (more details here), water heaters, pellet stoves, and solar water heaters, and find the best compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Remember, some projects might qualify for federal tax credits. If you want energy-efficient appliances, stay up on the news related to the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, also known as cash for clunkers for appliances.

 

Inside Consumer Reports Tests Labs: New front-loading washing machines from Whirlpool and Maytag

Reviews of the Whirlpool Duet Steam WFW9750W[W] and Duet Sport WFW9150W[W] and Maytag Performance Series MHWE950W[W]

What's the biggest laundry-related gripe Americans have? The musty smell that befouls clothes left to sit in the washing machine after washing is the top "unmet consumer concern in the laundry room," according to a Whirlpool Corporation survey.

To address the odor problem, Whirlpool has equipped some of its front-loaders with low-energy fans to circulate air and also programmed the machines to tumble periodically. As part of the testing for our continuously updated ratings of front-loading and top-loading washing machines (available to subscribers), we recently reviewed three washing machines* with these odor-fighting features.

Note that none of the loads we washed in any machine had an odor, either when the cycle ended or even after the load sat for hours. Further, there were no odors evident for these tested models regardless of whether the odor-fighting feature was turned on or off, so we cannot report on the claimed odor-preventing ability of these machines. Whirlpool is careful to indicate that these features do not remove an odor but can help prevent one from forming. Our experts suggest that some odors could be from residual soil and bacteria in the clothing or the machine that under the right temperature and moisture conditions are able to propagate.

The Whirlpool Duet Steam WFW9750W[W], $1,300 (shown), has what the manufacturer calls FanFresh, which is designed to prevent odors by circulating air with a fan and tumbling wet laundry every 15 minutes for up to 10 hours. This front-loader did an excellent job overall in our tests. It proved very good at our washing, gentleness, vibration, and water-extraction tests. The WFW9750W[W] also aced our energy- and water-efficiency tests, has a large, 21-pound capacity and was relatively quiet over its 65-minute normal cycle. Its NightQuiet option reduces noise by using a lower spin speed, though this mode also slightly reduces the amount of water extracted from loads.

The Whirlpool Duet Sport WFW9150W[W], $700, has an option, called TumbleFresh, that circulates clothes every 15 minutes for up to six hours. This front-loader, with a sizable, 18-pound capacity, performed very good overall. It aced our gentleness, energy- and water-efficiency tests and was very good at extracting water and in the vibration tests but was only mediocre in our washing tests. It also proved relatively noisy over its 55-minute normal cycle.

The Maytag Performance Series MHWE950W[W], $1,300, is made by Whirlpool and is basically the same machine as the Whirlpool Duet Steam WFW9750W[W], with a similar 21-pound capacity. Its Fresh Hold option tumbles wet laundry every 15 minutes for up to 10 hours and uses a fan to circulate air. The MHWE950W[W] was top-notch overall and excelled in our tests for energy and water efficiency and extracting water. It earned very good scores for washing, gentleness, and vibration. This model operates relatively quietly over its 65-minute normal cycle; its "quiet" option slows the spin speed to dampen noise, though this mode slightly reduces the water extracted from clothes.—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential reading: If you need new laundry equipment, check out our free buyer's guide to washers and buying advice for dryers. If you're in the market for new appliances, stay up on the news related to the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, also known as cash for clunkers for appliances.

*We purchased these appliances from the manufacturer before they were available in stores; we will confirm the test results below on versions that we buy at retail.

The evolution of Frigidaire's logo and brand identity

Frigidaire's new look gets a cool reception from one blogger

If you're into graphic design and/or appliances, you might enjoy "Ninety Years of Refrigerators, and Logos," an interesting post on Brand New, a site that covers corporate-brand-identity strategies. In the item, author Debbie Millman focuses on Frigidaire, tracing the appliance maker's logo from its original crown design with embedded "F" through cursive versions to the current all-caps iteration (shown right).

The latest look doesn't seem a winner for Millman: "The placement of the red triangle results in breaking the word Frigidaire into two separate words: Frigid and Ire. Given that these products are specifically marketed to moms, this messaging system is likely not going to appeal to anyone."

Logo design aside, product performance and brand reliability are what probably matter most to you. Like other brands, Frigidaire has gone up and down in these departments through the years, no matters its logo design. I can't help but think of this quote from renowned quipster Will Rogers: "Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving their product that they do on advertising, and they wouldn't have to advertise it."

If you're in the market for new appliances, stay up on the news related to the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, also known as cash for clunkers for appliances. And see how Frigidaire stacks up against the competition across all appliance categories, using our ratings and brand-reliability data.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check our Kitchen-Planning Guide for expert advice on remodeling your kitchen.

By the Numbers: Where electricity prices are highest, Energy Star shines

38 percent

Market share of Energy Star-qualified appliances in Connecticut, Hawaii, and New Hampshire, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. As we reported yesterday, consumers in those states pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country.

“Market share for Energy Star qualified appliances is generally higher than average in states and regions with longstanding or very active energy efficiency programs (e.g., California and Vermont) and those with particularly high electricity prices (e.g., Hawaii, Connecticut, and New Hampshire),” reads the U.S. Department of Energy’s Refrigerator Market Profile: 2009 (PDF).

The state average market share for Energy Star-qualified appliances is 30 percent, but the share in West Virginia, Louisiana, and Kentucky is the lowest in the country, ranging from 23 to 25 percent. Residents in those states pay about 4 cents less per kilowatt hour than the national average of almost 12 cents and about 15 cents less than consumers in Hawaii.

If you’re in the market for new appliances, read up on the U.S. Department of Energy’s $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka cash for clunkers for appliances, and find the best places to buy appliances.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: “Energy Star Has Lost Some Luster” details some issues we found related to the Energy Star program.

Paradise Cost: Hawaii's not a better place to live than West Virginia or North Dakota . . . at least when it comes to electricity prices

Cutting down on how much electricity you use at home is a good move for your finances and the environment. Some steps to using less energy are simple, like choosing energy-efficient appliances and using and maintaining them properly—read about the U.S. Department of Energy's $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, otherwise known as cash for clunkers for appliances—and replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs, like those covered in our new ratings-based report on CFLs.

One area where you have limited options in terms of saving money is the kilowatt-hour price you pay for electricity. In our stories we always refer to the national average price for electricity—currently almost 12 cents per kilowatt hour—but the price you pay could be a lot more or a lot less. Here are the states with the highest and lowest average per-kilowatt-hour costs for electricity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration:

Highest electricity rates
Hawaii: 22.99 cents
Connecticut: 20.24 cents
New York: 19.74 cents
New Jersey: 17.83 cents
Alaska: 17.82 cents
Massachusetts: 16.63 cents
New Hampshire: 16.41 cents
Maryland: 15.95 cents
California: 15.91 cents
Maine: 15.19 cents

Lowest electricity rates
West Virginia: 7.87 cents
Washington: 7.93 cents
Louisiana: 8.24 cents
Idaho: 8.44 cents
Kentucky: 8.58 cents
Oklahoma: 8.79 cents
North Dakota: 8.86 cents
Tennessee: 8.97 cents
Wyoming: 9.07 cents
Oregon: 9.07 cents