By the Numbers: GE hiring new employees to build water heaters in Louisville, Kentucky

400

Approximate number of jobs GE plans to fill to build hybrid water heaters. (The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater is shown.)

In May 2008, we told you about a decision by General Electric to sell its GE Appliances division. Just over a year later, that GE division is adding employees, according to this story in The Wall Street Journal, which also noted that GE is unveiling LED products and is investing in research on organic LEDs, or OLEDs. (Read our "10 Questions for . . . " interview with Ed Hammer, who invented the compact fluorescent lightbulb in 1975 while working for GE Lighting.)

"We made the decision to build these products in Louisville because of the strong support from our state and local governments and the cooperative spirit of our Union leadership and our employees at Appliance Park," said James Campbell, president and CEO of GE Consumer & Industrial President. Read more on GE's Appliance Park in this item on the Appliance Talk blog. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Find out whether a tankless water heater is a worthwhile investment. And look for our new report on CFLs and lighting in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports.

One hail of a time to test solar water heaters

The Consumer Reports headquarters in Yonkers, New York, got pounded last night by a tornadolike thunderstorm that dropped several inches of hail on the area and left thousands of homes in Yonkers and surrounding communities without power. (The photo, taken by an art director here, shows one of our parking lots several hours after the storm had passed. The damage to our facility was minimal.)

A Consumer Reports project leader who lives two blocks from our offices was seriously concerned about the five different solar water heaters on the roof of our building that he's testing for an October 2009 report. "During the storm, it sounded like people were throwing rocks at my windows—lots of rocks," says Dave Trezza. "I couldn't hear the TV even after we closed the windows at home."

The solar water heaters survived unscathed except for the heat exchanger on one unit. Everything on your roof, including the roof itself, is susceptible to storm damage, although the high-impact tempered glass used in the water heaters' collectors should be able to withstand ¾-inch hail at 60 mph, an industry standard.

Dave and his team will continue their testing right through summer and into next winter. We'll have preliminary results of solar water heaters in the October issue and will provide you with testing updates in the months that follow. With any luck, we'll avoid other major storms.—Ed Perratore | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Defend your home against natural disasters and visit our Storm & Emergency Guide. Also read this  post on our Money blog for details on homeowners insurance and storm damage and find out how common solar water heaters are in Israel.

Microsoft builds Hohm, a new energy-monitoring system

Months after Google rolled out its PowerMeter energy-monitoring service, Microsoft has unveiled Hohm, its own free service designed to let you access, analyze, and optimize energy use through links to utilities and vendors of energy-efficient products and services.

"If you break up the energy-consumption sector in the Untied States, you'll see residential is the most underserved," says Troy Batterberry, Microsoft Hohm's product unit manager. "Commercial and industrial sectors have had the ability to hire experts to help them drive down energy costs, but most residential users haven't had an easy-to-use, inexpensive tool to help them do the same thing."

The service, a beta version of which launched on July 6, takes its name from home and ohm, the unit of electrical resistance. "We wanted a short name with a unique spelling so users could find it very quickly via Web searches—but it's also a nod to the electrical-engineering profession," Batterberry says. I guess Hohm sounds better than Holt (home and volt), Hampere (home and ampere), Hurrent (home and current), or Hatt (home and watt).

If you have a Windows Live ID, you can use your existing login to access Hohm; otherwise, you need furnish only your Zip code and e-mail address to gain access. After joining, you'll get a screen with a pie chart showing the average breakdown of energy consumption in your area, based on information Microsoft has licensed from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.

And if you're a customer of one of Hohm's four current utility partners—Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (PDF), and Xcel Energy (PDF)—you'll get a comparison of how your annual energy costs rate against other homes in the area.

Q&A: I've seen green labels on dishwasher detergents. Are they legit?

I've noticed all kinds of green claims and labels on a number of cleaners, specifically dishwasher detergents. What makes a these cleaners green?

We've seen these eco-friendly claims and labels, too. Some are meaningful, others meaningless. Terms like "natural," "environmentally friendly," and "nontoxic" lack standard definitions. Even "biodegradable" means little unless the information is specific, such as "biodegradable in three days" or "certified biodegradable."

But some of the claims you'll see aren't greenwashing and can point you in the direction of greener cleaners. A statement that a detergent is "certified biodegradable" has been independently verified, as is the Leaping Bunny symbol on Earth Friendly and Seventh Generation detergents. The presence of that logo indicates that a product wasn't tested on animals during any stage of its development. Keep this shopping tip in mind: Look for specific claims such as "contains no artificial dyes or fragrances," then look at the ingredients list if there is one, which might help confirm the claim.

In the end, you'll probably want a detergent that cleans well. In our August 2009 report on dishwasher detergents (story and ratings available to subscribers), one Cascade detergent was excellent and five other cleaners were very good, including the phosphate-free Method Smarty Dish tablets (shown).
Other tested detergents without phosphates tended to perform worst overall. Method's success might be due to the amount and type of enzymes in its formulation. Enzymes help break up food for easier removal.

Whichever dishwasher detergent you use, follow the tips below to get the cleanest dishes. And remember, don't machine-wash items made of brass, bronze, cast iron, disposable plastic, gold-leaf china, or wood.

1. Load large items at the sides and back of the dishwasher so they don't block water and detergent from other dishes.
2. Orient the dirtier side of dishes toward the center of the machine.
3. Don't let dishes or utensils nest or rest side by side. If your dishwasher has an open basket, mix spoons, forks, and knives so they won't nest together.
4. Use the top rack for plastic and more-delicate items.
5. Rest glasses on prongs so they stay upright and don't fill with water.
6. Load silverware with handles down; knives, with handles up. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: If you're in the market for a new dishwasher, read our latest report and check out our free buyer's guide.

Buzzword: Power Factor

What it means. Power factor, a characteristic of alternating-current, or AC, circuits, is defined as the ratio of real power (what the end user consumes, measured in watts) to apparent power (what the utility company supplies, measured in volt-amperes).

Power factor is expressed as a number between 0.0 and 1.0. The higher the number, the better the power factor, with 0.85 and above being considered optimal.

An analogy might be helpful here: Let's say you're at your favorite watering hole and order a $4 pint of beer. To serve you a proper, full pint, the barkeep might end up dispensing a few extra ounces. You're not charged for that spillage—you pay for only the beer in the glass. (Yes, the bar accounts for waste.)

That's basically how things operate between you and your utility: You pay for real power (beer) and not apparent power (spillage). It's a different story at the commercial level, since utility companies may impose a penalty on industrial customers whose facilities have a low power factor. Many utilities will levy a surcharge if a company's power factor is less than 0.95, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Your utility company would prefer that your home have a 1.0 power factor, since it charges you only for real power

Why the buzz? Power factor is still mainly a concern for industrial clients, but it might creep into the residential sector. One reason for this is the low power factor of compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

For a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb with a 1.0 power factor, for instance, the utility generates 60 volt-amperes and the customer pays for 60 watts of power, according to lighting company Osram Sylvania. But for a 15-watt CFL with a 0.60 power factor, the utility must generate 25 volt-amperes, while the customer pays for 15 watts. (To get volt-amperes, divide watts by power factor.)

So when that 0.60-power-factor CFL over the course of time uses 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity, the utility would have to generate 1,667 volt-amperes to power it. (It costs American utility companies an average of 4 cents to produce a cost of a kilowatt-hour of electricity, according to the Edison Electric Institute.) Note that the average home has an overall power factor of about 0.90.

When you factor in the hundreds of billions of kilowatt-hours used by U.S. households each year, you can see why power companies would love to pass on some or all of the additional costs associated with power factor on to their customers.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out these easy ways to cut energy use at home and learn about watt meters, which are marketed as energy-saving devices.

By the Numbers: Unused TV sets piling up in American homes

99.1 million

Number of unused television sets Americans have stashed away in their homes, according to the "Electronics Waste Management In the United States" report (PDF) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

With all those old TVs piling up, states and municipalities have required manufacturers to take on the recycling of electronics, according to this recent article in The New York Times.

Nearly 27 million televisions were disposed of in this country in 2007, with only 18 percent of those televisions by weight recycled, according to Take Back My TV, a campaign of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which promotes responsible recycling in the electronics industry (PDF). The 2007 figures were no better for computers and cell phones, says the organization: 205.5 million computers were trashed, with 18 percent recycled; 140.3 million cell phones were disposed of, with 10 percent recycled.

When you need to get rid of an old TV or other piece of electronic equipment, including cell phones and computers, read "Where to Recycle Electronics, Free" and refer to our Electronics Reuse & Recycling Center. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Find out how to dispose or other household products, including leftover paints.

By the Numbers: White House touts new lighting-efficiency standards

$1 billion to $4 billion

Annual savings U.S. consumers will reap from 2012 through 2042 as a result of new energy-efficiency rules for incandescent reflector lamps and general-service fluorescent lights introduced yesterday, according to the White House. The efficiency standards were announced just days after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act; the standards were last updated in 1992.

President Barack Obama and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu unveiled the rules, which will cut energy use for the affected bulbs by 15 to 25 percent and, from 2012 through 2042, are also designed to eliminate the emission of up to 594 million tons of greenhouse-gas emissions, about the same as taking 166 million cars off the road for a year; save enough electricity to power every home in the U.S. for up to 10 months; and eliminate the need for up to 7.3 gigawatts of new electricity generating capacity. Read more details on the updated standards.

"The first step we're taking sets new efficiency standards on fluorescent and incandescent lighting. Now I know lightbulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses," said President Obama.

The news was well received by groups advocating for energy efficiency. "We believe this will be the biggest efficiency savings from any appliance standard ever," Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, told The New York Times.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are not affected by the new rules. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Look for our testing update on CFLs in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in September.

House nears final vote on American Clean Energy and Security Act

UPDATED, 7:45 P.M. ET ON 6/26/09: The House has passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, by a vote of 219-212. Read the details.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday afternoon won a narrow test vote to advance the American Clean Energy and Security Act to a full vote by the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged to get the legislation passed before lawmakers leave on their July 4 recess.

Speaking yesterday from the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama predicted a close vote for the bill, saying, "I know this is going to be a close vote, in part because of the misinformation that's out there that suggests there's somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and our economic growth. But my call to those members of Congress who are still on the fence, as well as to the American people, is this: We cannot be afraid of the future, and we can't be prisoners of the past. We've been talking about this issue for decades, and now is the time to finally act."

The American Clean Energy and Security Act, H.R. 2454, was cosponsored by two Democratic representatives, California's Henry Waxman and Massachusetts' Edward Markey. One of its main elements is the cap-and-trade provision, which supporters say will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 83 percent by 2050. Opponents of the bill, largely Republican, have called it a "cap and tax" bill that will cost American consumers.

The cap-and-trade provision will cost the average household $175 annually by 2020, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office. However, because of direct rebates included in the provision, low-income households could see a net benefit of $40 per year.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy analyzed the bill's energy-efficiency provisions, including those aimed at smart-grid appliances and a best-in-class deployment program, and found an average saving of $1,050 per household by 2020.

"This sweeping legislation represents a significant first step in our nation's ability to address global climate change. And importantly, it moves us forward on the path toward creating clean energy jobs of the future," says Ellen Bloom, director of federal policy for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of this blog and Consumer Reports magazine. "As the bill works its way through Congress, we look forward to working to ensure that, as policymakers continue their efforts to achieve the important goals of capping greenhouse gas emissions and creating new clean energy jobs, they do so in a way that does not unfairly burden American consumers."—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Q&A: Have CFLs been improved in any ways?

I've been disappointed by some of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs I installed a few years back. Have manufacturers made any improvements to CFLs, or are LEDs the way to go?

LED lighting is definitely gaining in prominence, but compact fluorescent lightbulbs continue to dominate the market for energy-efficient lighting. Today's Energy Star-qualified CFLs don't have the problems that some earlier models did, such as the flickering they generated and the harsh lighting they provided. These energy-saving bulbs continue to evolve, and much of the focus seems to be on making high-performance, long-lasting CFLs with less mercury.

A decade ago some CFLs had as much as 20 milligrams of mercury. The federal government has now capped the amount of mercury Energy Star-qualified bulbs can contain. As of December 2, 2008, CFLs that use less than 25 watts of electricity must have no more than 5 milligrams of mercury; the limit is 6 milligrams for 25- to 40-watt CFLs. A 13- or 14-watt is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

"Several manufacturers are producing bulbs that only contain 2 to 3 mg per bulb," says Noah Horowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental group. "We are hopeful that these levels can be reduced even further. We need to reduce these levels in a thoughtful, stepwise way to make sure we don't go so low that we've compromised the performance of the bulb and it stops working prematurely."

Mercury is traditionally put into CFLs as a liquid, but in recent years, manufacturers have increasingly used solid forms, or amalgam. It maintains the light output of a lamp much better over a range of temperatures, and dosing is much easier to control during manufacturing, according to Christina Kiehlich, an Energy Star spokeswoman. The downside is that using amalgam mercury results in CFLs with slightly longer run-up times.

Manufacturer BlueMax claims the amalgam fill prevents mercury from releasing when a CFL breaks. The experts at Energy Star say when a CFL breaks, the amount of mercury released wouldn't be significantly different whether it's liquid or amalgam.

Some CFLs are now marketed as shatterproof, which if true, would alleviate concerns over mercury being emitted when a CFL breaks. We haven't tested these yet.—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Find out which CFLs lasted longest (available to subscribers) and look for our new report on CFLs in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in September.

Buzzword: Cool Roof

What it means. Never heard of a "cool roof"? Abandon your visions of an overhyped hipster-filled rooftop bar or eatery in an edgy, funky neighborhood. A cool roof, simply put, is a roof designed to reflect sunlight. Since the roof stays cooler, less heat is transferred to the building below, resulting in a cooler building and energy and money savings.

Why the buzz? U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu recently made headlines when he was in London to attend a symposium on climate change. He said that painting all roofs white or light colors could help significantly reduce the amount of energy used to cool buildings.

But this idea is about not only the color of a roof but also its solar reflectance (SR) and thermal emittance (TE), which are rated on a scale of 0 to 1, with 1 being the most reflective or emissive. The Cool Roof Rating Council trade group says it rates products based on their initial values and after three years of weather exposure. The cool-roof concept is to use reflective coatings or materials. So a cool roof could be made of clay or concrete tiles or other materials suitable for a climate along with coatings in a range of colors that are designed to reflect the rays of the sun. The photo shows a home with MCA clay roof tiles in Riverside, California.

Cool roofs lower the surface temperature of a roof by up to 100*F, according to the California Energy Commission, which estimates that cool roofs can trim cooling costs by 20 percent on average in California. The CRRC estimates the average energy savings are 7 to 15 percent of cooling costs.

But the U.S. Department of Energy says that reflective roofs don't work in all situations, and the biggest benefits are reaped in hot, sunny climates where air conditioning is used frequently. Homes in shady spots or those with well-insulated attics might not see significant benefits. Cool roofs can also increase heating costs in the winter. To figure out how much energy you'll save, use the DOE's cool-roof calculator.

If you are considering a cool roof, find out whether the materials qualify for a federal tax credit and request a manufacturer's certification statement. You could receive a 30 percent tax credit (up to $1,500) for the material costs if the roof is installed this year or next. Also look online for rebates from utility companies.—Kimberly Janeway | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out our June 2009 report on roofing and July 2009 report on air conditioning (available to subscribers), stay cool without sky-high energy bills, and read about ceiling fans.