It Ain’t Easy
Kermit said it best: it ain’t easy being green. I’ve been learning a lot about how to minimize my impact on our planet as part of my ‘new’ job, including a thorough grounding in greening your home, courtesy of our amazing research team. I get a lot of questions from friends and family about how to green their lives, so I thought I’d start documenting my own Going Green quest on this very blog.
We moved into our home at the end of last year, happily taking possession of a three floor Victorian, dated to sometime before 1920, and in great condition thanks to the previous owner who renovated and modernized during his four month tenure. Buying an old home with the intent to green it is a great first step and the second of the fabled three Rs: reuse. Off to a good start!
Next up was a washer and dryer since the house didn’t come with any. We decided that we much preferred starting fresh without someone else’s years of accumulated lint, and so we paid a visit to some appliance stores to checkout the latest in front loading washers and dryers. Front loading machines are considerably more efficient than the old school top loaders in power and water usage, so we picked out a lovely Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer that have been chugging along ever since.
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- Whirlpool Duet Washing Machine
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- Whirlpool Duet Dryer
In the next Going Green post: auditing energy with Enwise.
» September 6th, 2008, 2:02 am • permalink • categories: Going Green • tags: environment, green, home • Subscribe to comments for this entry through the 
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So i’ve often wondered this – what’s the environmental cross-over point where upgrading to a NEW appliance being more energy efficient is a bigger win for the earth than the resources required to manufacture that new appliance?
That’s a good question but it’s kind of a “piece of string” — hard to say how long it is until you see the strand. Assuming you’re buying an Energy Star appliance, it’s a whole lot sooner than it used to be, but it depends on what type of appliance (fridge? dishwasher? washing machine?) and on your usage profile. If you wash dishes once a month, for example, it will take a whole lot longer for the cross-over than if you do them every two days.
Generally speaking, the older the appliance you’re replacing, the sooner you break even. Things like furnaces are quicker: we’re about to go from a 30-year old furnace with a rebuilt motor — about 55% efficient — to a high efficiency dual stage model which is about 92%. Fridges are too because the refrigeration is more efficient as is the insulation. Stoves are less so, unless you’re switching from electric to gas.
Ig the goal isro be both econimcal and ergonimical. I reccommend those new windows that cost to have installed but then “Pay for them selves.”