(NAPSI)—America, it’s time to “Flip Your Fridge”! If your refrigerator is 15 years old or older, replacing it with a new ENERGY STAR® certified model can save you more than $270 over the next five years and reduce your carbon footprint.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if all refrigerators 15 years old or older in the United States were replaced with new ENERGY STAR certified models, Americans would save more than $1 billion in annual energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 1 million vehicles.
There are an estimated 170 million refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers currently in use in the United States. More than 60 million are over 10 years old, costing consumers $4.4 billion per year in energy.
A new refrigerator that has earned the ENERGY STAR uses less energy than two 60-watt lightbulbs and includes energy-saving features that provide performance benefits, such as:
• Quieter, high-efficiency compressors that create less heat;
• Improved insulation in doors and exterior walls to help food stay cold and muffle noise;
• More precise temperature and defrost mechanisms that help the refrigerator operate more efficiently;
• Innovative drawer designs and improved temperature controls to keep food fresher, longer.
It’s better for you and the environment to replace your old refrigerator rather than hang on to it. Keeping a second refrigerator in your basement or garage could be costing you $110 every year! Make sure to properly recycle your old refrigerator to prevent the release of refrigerants and foams that contribute to climate change.
Now is a great time for savings on a new refrigerator that has the “little blue label”! Certain utilities even offer rebates you can apply to the cost of an ENERGY STAR certified refrigerator or toward properly recycling your old refrigerator.
For information on rebates and other special manufacturer offers, visit www.energystar.gov/flipyourfridge.
On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)