Living Like Ed - (Page 25) If you have a really old heating and air-conditioning unit, you might want to consider purchasing a new Energy Star system. It’s going to be a big investment, but you’re going to make that money back in a few years because the units are so much more efficient now, and use so much less power. The compressors are more efficient, the fans are more efficient, everything about the system’s more efficient. You can literally save up to 20 percent on your yearly heating and cooling costs with a new, more energy efficient unit. What Energy Star Means Many people think Energy Star is a brand name or a particular company. Actually, it’s a program created jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Its goal is laudable: to help everybody save money and protect the environment through energyefficient products and practices. And the program is working. To benefit from this program, you just look for the Energy Star symbol on a product. It’s like a seal of approval. To wear it, that product has to meet strict energy efficiency guidelines. You can find the Energy Star symbol on all kinds of things, from complete homes to appliances and office equipment, including • central • ceiling air-conditioning units and room air conditioners fans (another great way to reduce cooling costs and energy use) • furnaces • dehumidifiers • refrigerators • clothes and freezers washers and skylights • dishwashers • windows • doors • roofing products • insulation winter by going from 72 to 68 degrees. According to Energy Star, in 2006 alone, the program
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