Ross and Witmer When you’re shopping for a new HVAC system or home appliance, you’re going to see energy efficiency numbers and acronyms, such as SEER, AFUE and HSPF, that may not make a lot of sense to you. The end result of efficiency ratings — your energy bill — is, in essence, summed up on the EnergyGuide label. Read on to learn more about EnergyGuide labels and how they may help you decide which products are best for your Charlotte area home.
Your Guide to Home Efficiency
EnergyGuide is a U.S. government program that’s part of an initiative to reduce energy consumption across the country. It was established in the 1970s, and all applicable products were required to display the EnergyGuide label by 1980. The program’s criteria is updated from time to time to better reflect consumer product and energy usage.
Using EnergyGuide
EnergyGuide labels offer easy-to-read information about a product’s efficiency and how a product compares to other models in its class. This is useful information when you’re shopping for HVAC systems and home appliances.
With information displayed on EnergyGuide labels, you may determine the estimated lifetime energy usage of systems and appliances for comparison. You may then calculate the lifetime cost savings of higher-efficiency models compared to standard models with lower first costs.
What’s on an EnergyGuide Label?
- Features – Important product features are displayed in the upper left corner of the label.
- Product identity – The manufacturer, model and product size are listed in the upper right corner.
- Energy Star – If the product is Energy Star-qualified, you’ll see the familiar blue Energy Star logo in the bottom right corner.
- Operating costs – The estimated annual operating costs of a product is displayed in graph form in the center of the label.
- Annual energy usage – The estimated annual energy usage is displayed below the operating costs graph.
Learn more about using the EnergyGuide label, as well as Ross & Witmer’s home performance solutions, or give us a call at 704-392-6188.