As we’ve discussed many times before on this blog, the concept of swapping is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and our collective impact on the environment. That’s not the only way that swapping can help the environment. Swapping out your old, inefficient household appliances for new eco-friendly models can greatly reduce your footprint while saving you money.
A quick tip to save energy and fight climate change it to swap your old items for those with the ENERGY STAR qualification seal. ENERGY STAR appliances use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment. According to the ENERGY STAR experts the annual energy bill for a typical single family home is approximately $2,200, with approximately 13% of that going to household appliances. Swapping out old units for more efficient energy-saving appliances could reduce that budget by at least a third!
Take your household dishwasher for example: a typical low-efficiency washer can use up 4 gallons of water in each load. Newer efficient models can use as little as 1.6 gallons a load, cutting the amount of water used by more than half. And replacing a dishwasher manufactured before 1994 with an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher can save you more than $30 a year in utility costs.
These little changes can have a major impact on the way we live today and tomorrow. Take a look at some of the eco-smart models over at TopTenUSA, which specializes in energy-saving products, and consider switching to one yourself.
(Photo by Andy Melton)
Swap.com Mobile is a free iPhone is app that lets you scan items into your HAVE and WANT lists, manage your account, see what you can get for your stuff, and participate in swaps.
