A typical family living in a 10-year-old home could save $200 annually by switching to energy efficient appliances, according to a new study conducted on behalf of the Department of Energy.

"The numbers in this study speak for themselves," said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. "If every American household installed these products, the annual water savings would equal the average flow of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico for five entire days."

The "Save Water and Energy Education Program" (SWEEP) study was conducted in 25 homes in each of the water-strapped Oregon cities of Wilsonville (pop. 13,991) and Lafayette (pop. 2,586). The test homes were built before 1992, when the use of some water and energy efficient equipment became mandatory.

Manufacturers donated new Energy Star-labeled clothes washers and dishwashers, highly efficient clothes dryers, toilets, faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads. Appliances and other products carrying the Energy Star label are typically 20 percent more energy efficient than standard products.

The results showed a 68 percent energy savings with efficient clothes washers (using electricity to run the washer and heat the water) and 38 percent water savings compared to older, standard models previously used in the homes.

Dishwashers used 39 percent less energy to heat the water and 39 percent less water than standard models. Clothes dryers used 25 percent less energy, and dual-flush toilets used 67 percent less water than baseline models.

The major appliances alone saved enough energy and water to wash an additional 250 loads of laundry and 110 loads of dishes, plus enough electricity to run an energy efficient refrigerator for an entire year. The study confirmed that energy and water use can be reduced through intensive conservation campaigns and by replacing older appliances with more efficient models.

Overall, the study found that a typical family in a home that's at least 10 years old could save 18,600 gallons of water and $200 a year by switching to highly energy and water efficient appliances. And families in new houses could save almost as much.

"These results mean good news for consumers who want to lower their energy and water bills, and good news for communities with water and energy shortages," said Jay Penney of Electrolux Home Products, which donated 50 sets of highly efficient Frigidaire appliances because for the study.

"This is good news for everyone," agreed John McLain of Portland General Electric's National Earth Advantage Center, which not only acted as the overall project manager for the study but also donated showerheads. "Saving water and energy through high efficiency appliances and plumbing fixtures is cheaper than building new power plants and reservoirs, and this is good news for everyone."

Other SWEEP partners include Caroma USA (high-performance, dual-flush toilets), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Energy Technology Laboratories (showerhead and faucet aerator), the Oregon Office of Energy, CTSI Corp. (a water conservation consulting firm), the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the League of Oregon Cities, and the Mid-Willamette (Ore.) Valley Council of Governments.

For more articles by Lew Sichelman, please press here.

Published: August 23, 2001

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.