YouSustain

Action - Replace an old appliance with an efficient model

Older, inefficient, appliances waste a surprising amount of energy. For example, the average fridge manufactured before 1993 uses 1,000 kWh/year compared to a new model which can use as little as 500 kWh/year.

The table below shows common major household appliances and a comparison of the energy usage between older and newer models. If you want to upgrade some of your appliances consider picking the ones with the most energy savings for a newer model below.

Appliance Energy Comparison

Appliance20+ year-old model
kWh/year
New model
kWh/year
Cash Savings
per year
CO2 Savings
per year
Fridge1,00050035350
Freezer70037523230
Clothes Washer1,20070035350
Clothes Dryer105090011110
Dish Washer1,00050035350
Television43016019190

Known benefits and costs

Annual CO2 Savings100 - 500 kg
 220 - 1,100 lbs
Annual Cash Savings$15 - $50
Initial Cost$300 - $600
Time to pay for itself6.0 - 40.0 years
CO2 saved per year per initial dollar invested0.17 - 1.67 kg

* These values were taken from many sources including product documentation, published reports, and the referenced material below. The ranges are due to differences in methods of achieving this action.

Reference Links

The site admins voted these articles very good references

Energy Consumption of Major Household Appliances

Lots of data on energy consumption of household appliances from 1993 to 2003. Trend graphs, average consumption by year, etc.

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