ENERGY STAR Now Certifying Clothes Dryers
ENERGY STAR is now, for the first time ever, going to be certifying clothes dryers — thereby allowing consumers to make more-informed choices when purchasing the ubiquitous appliances.
The move is especially worth noting when you consider the fact that dryers use more energy than practically any other appliance typically found in American households — and the fact that roughly 80% of American households have one.
In order to qualify for the new ENERGY STAR label, dryers apparently need to be at least 20% more efficient than conventional models.
ENERGY STAR certified dryers will reportedly go on sale starting on President’s Day weekend — when 45 different models, from 5 different manufacturers, will be made available around the country. The manufacturers in question include industry leaders such as Whirlpool, Maytag, and LG. The dryers on offer will reportedly include electric, gas, and compact models.
In an email sent to CleanTechnica, it was noted that, “if all residential clothes dryers sold in the US were ENERGY STAR certified, Americans could save US$1.5 billion each year in utility costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 2 million vehicles.”
Those are certainly notable savings.
The new ENERGY STAR–certified dryers will accomplish their energy use reductions via a variety of different approaches — including the use of moisture sensors to detect the dryness of the clothes in the dryers and shut off automatically.
It bears noting here that products can only feature the ENERGY STAR label after being certified by an EPA-recognized third party, in an EPA-approved lab.
Image Credit: Energy Star
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