An increasing number of homeowners are suffering from an all-too-familiar syndrome: Their eyes pop out of their heads each month when they rip open their electric bills. And although many of us don't consider it, our appliances are partially at fault for those high costs. In some cases, home appliances can play a significant role in our monthly bills. Appliances account for 20 percent of your household's energy consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC). And -- surprise, surprise -- refrigerators and clothes dryers are the prime suspects at the top of that consumption list.

Because energy waste is intangible -- we can't see it or smell it, nor can we measure by ourselves exactly how much energy our appliances waste -- we shrug our shoulders. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Or many of us resign ourselves to high energy bills, ironically, because we say we can't afford to purchase new, more efficient appliances. The fact is that even if we don't want to make the financial commitment of purchasing new home appliances, we can take a few simple protective measures with our existing appliances to maximize their efficiency.

The U.S. Department of Energy advises homeowners to practice the following methods of maintenance, tune-ups, and system upgrades:

• Check air filters in heating and cooling systems monthly, during the seasons they are in use, and clean and replace them as necessary.
• Clean air vents, baseboards, and radiators regularly, and keep them unrestricted by furniture, carpets, or drapes.
• Release trapped air from hot water radiators once or twice each season by opening the valve until nothing but water comes out.
• Follow prescribed maintenance (for example, maintaining certain water levels in steam heat systems).
• Install an insulating jacket on your hot water heater, insulate hot water pipes, and lower the water heater temperature.
• Clean refrigerator coils yearly, and maintain internal temperatures between 36 degrees F (2.22 degrees C) and 38 degrees F (3.33 degrees C) for the refrigerator compartment and between 0 degrees F (-17.8 degrees C) and 5 degrees F (-15.0 degrees C) for the freezer.
• Move the refrigerator if it is currently located near the stove or dishwasher.
• Regularly defrost refrigerators that do not have a completely automatic defrost capability to eliminate ice build-up on interior coils.
• Clean dryer filters after each use or as necessary.
• More complicated jobs, such as furnace tune-ups, will need to be performed periodically by a trained technician. Companies that sell oil and gas usually have trained technicians who can tune up your furnace or boiler.
• Sometimes independent companies provide this service, as well. For professional service for other home appliances, you should contact the business where the appliance was purchased.

If you decide to purchase any new appliances for your home, EREC advises you to visualize two price tags during your search. The first price tag is the purchase price, a down payment, so to speak. The second tag is the cost of operating that appliance over the course of its lifetime. That price tag is one you're going to become familiar with, because it's going to show up at your house every month cleverly disguised as your utility bill for the next 10 to 20 years. The average life of a refrigerator is 20 years, room air conditioners and dishwashers live about 10 years each, and clothes washers usually last about 14 years.

Products bearing an "Energy Star" label have been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and DOE as the most energy-efficient products in their classes. These products not only meet but exceed minimum federal standards for energy efficiency. In addition, the government requires most appliances to display bright yellow "Energy Guide" labels that list the appliances' annual energy consumption and operating costs.

The following chart, provided by EREC, illustrates how much energy typical appliances consume each year, as well as their corresponding costs based on national averages. As the chart points out, the average refrigerator consumes nearly five times as much electricity as the average television set.

Here are a few tips for cutting your household energy consumption:

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC)

Published: February 18, 1998

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