representing energy efficient appliance

Which Energy Efficient Appliance Do I Have to Have in My New Home

Your average homeowner today is often more sensitive about environmental issues such as their total carbon footprint. It’s one of the reasons why solar systems gained so much popularity in recent years. Of course, not everyone can afford a solar system or go all in an Energy Star rated home.

While the energy-efficient home building is certainly the wave of the future, homeowners must live in the home they own now. Realistically, that often means making small changes, like updating one old appliance to a new energy-efficient appliance (as finances allow). If you’re in the market for a new, energy-efficient appliance, it should be your clothes dryer.

Keep reading to find out why.

You Use Your Dryer All the Time

A dryer is one of the most-used appliances in the home, particularly in homes with kids or pets. As any parent of a teenager will tell you, you can’t let the clothes pile up. Pet owners must also routinely wash and dry slipcovers, bedding, and clothes that come into contact with their pets.

It doesn’t matter if you only wore that hoodie for an hour. If your dog or cat takes a nap on it, it can end up smelling funky and become home to a lot of hair. In any given year, you probably dry several hundred loads of laundry.

Odds are also good that you dry them in an electric dryer. This brings us to the next topic.

Energy Usage

An electric dryer functions by pulling in air from the surrounding environment and heating it. It does that with a heating element inside the dryer. Heating elements of any kind, be it a coffee maker or a clothes dryer, consume a lot of electricity.

A standard, non-efficient dryer uses around 1000 kWh a year. Energy Star-rated dryers can consume as little as 125 kWh a year. While new home builds with energy-efficient appliances may take that number for granted, it can save a meaningful amount for homeowners using older, non-Energy Star rated dryers.

Tax Benefits

The federal government wants homeowners to embrace more energy-efficient lifestyles. If nothing else, it eases the burden on power grids across the nation.

In a bid to encourage this change, you can often get a tax credit for energy appliance purchases or installation. There is a form you must fill out, but it can knock down your tax debt.

Getting Yourself an Energy Efficient Appliance

There is a bit of good news on the energy-efficient appliance front. You won’t need lengthy online searches for energy-efficient appliances near me.

Plus, you can find Energy Star-rated appliances at most home improvement stores and big-box retailers. You can find and order them online as well.

Fisher & Paykel

While it is up to you, the homeowner, to pick out an energy-efficient appliance for your home, we wanted to give you a running start. New Legacy Homes is a proud partner of Fisher & Paykel. We chose this vendor partner because we have similar business goals.

We install their washers and dryers in all our new homes. In addition, we encourage you to start your new dryer search with Fisher & Paykel due to their quality and energy efficiency.

The good news is that you’ll take a bite out of your utility costs and even score a tax break.

New Legacy Homes specializes in energy-efficient homes. If you’re looking to move to an energy-efficient home in the Tampa Area, contact New Legacy homes today.