Energy Saving Appliances – Home Series – From your Vancouver Mortgage Broker

Energy Saving Appliances – From your Vancouver Mortgage Broker

The one bill that many homeowners in Vancouver dread receiving each month is the hydro bill. There’s one other thing this Vancouver mortgage broker can also say about your hydro bills is that this is one household expense that is unlikely to be getting any cheaper.

One of the best approaches to reduce your hydro bill is use energy efficient appliances. Old appliances are power guzzlers. If you have some free cash to spend on your home then maybe it’s time to consider replacing those power eating appliances with an energy efficient appliance.

There are of course plenty of choices and clearly, some models are a lot more energy efficient than others. So, how do you decide which model to select?

The first thing you should know is that under Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations, all new appliances either manufactured or imported into Canada must have an ‘Energuide Label’ affixed to the appliance. This label describes how much power that this appliance uses, and you should know that these tests have been performed by a third party, not the manufacturer.

The Energuide Label describes:

• The average annual Kilowatt (kWh) consumption of the appliance.
• How energy efficient the appliance is in comparison to other similar products.
• The annual energy consumption range for this particular model and size.
• The size and type of model.
• The model number.

Another very important label to look for is the international Energy Star symbol which is either affixed to the Energuide Label or attached separately. This symbol identifies that this particular appliance model clearly meets or exceeds technical specifications, and is the most energy efficient model that can be found in this particular class of appliances.

Energy efficient appliances do tend cost a bit more than other conventional appliances, but you also have to think about how much you could be saving down the road during the life of the appliance. The few extra bucks you spend can end up saving you a lot more. This is especially true if you use the appliance fairly regularly such as the dishwasher, or the washer and dryer.

Also, did you know that you can get anywhere from a $25 to $75 dollar rebate from BCHydro on certain energy efficient appliances? All you have to do is go to their website and click onto the ‘Rebates and Savings’ portion from the menu at the top of the page. The products require that the appliance have the Energy Star Symbol on it. However, check and make sure the appliance you’re thinking of buying is specifically listed.

Finally, another way to save on your hydro bill is to use the appliance efficiently and effectively. You’re just going to be wasting money if your energy efficient dishwasher is regularly used when it’s only half full. There are plenty of sites that can give you helpful hints on how to save and reduce your energy costs.

The last tip is to consider other energy saving appliances especially when it comes to cooking. You can save a lot of money simply by using a crock pot or slow cooker, a toaster oven or your micro wave instead of your stove to cook meals.

If you want to save money that you spend on hydro, then this Vancouver mortgage broker suggests you take a good look at the appliances you’re currently using. Maybe it’s time to retire and recycle that ten year old fridge and take an informed look at what sorts of energy efficient models you can use instead and save money.