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Lower Your Energy Bills With ENERGY STAR^® Qualified Products

(355 words)

If you are like many consumers, buying new appliances, heating and cooling equipment or consumer electronics can be a daunting task. So many models and manufacturers to choose from, so little time to shop around – how to decide?

One way to make the job easier is to look for products that have the international ENERGY STAR symbol. Products that qualify to use this symbol are among the top energy performers on the market, in some cases surpassing Canada's minimum national energy efficiency standards by as much as 60 percent.

What does energy efficiency have to do with your decision? The less energy you use, the lower your energy bills. Saving energy also reduces environmental impacts associated with the production of electricity, or the combustion of fossil fuels.

Consider these examples:

• ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers are at least 41 percent more efficient than required by the Government of Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations.
• ENERGY STAR qualified high-efficiency gas and propane furnaces are at least 12 percent more efficient than conventional models.
• ENERGY STAR qualified televisions use about 30 percent less energy than standard units when in standby mode.
• ENERGY STAR qualified residential light fixtures use about 67 percent less energy than conventional fixtures.
• ENERGY STAR qualified computers use 70 percent less electricity than typical models without enabled power management features. These power management features bring the computer in low-power mode when left inactive, and use 15 watts or less.

The list of products that can qualify for ENERGY STAR in Canada continues to grow and now includes 38 products such as residential appliances, home heating, ventilation and cooling equipment, office equipment, consumer electronics, lighting, windows, doors and skylights and commercial and industrial products.

For more information on ENERGY STAR in Canada or for tips on buying and using energy-efficient products visit the Web site at www.energystar.gc.ca. For free publications call Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) toll-free at 1-800-387-2000 or write to Energy Publications, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada, c/o St. Joseph Communications, Order Processing Unit, 1165 Kenaston Street, PO Box 9809, Station T, Ottawa ON  K1G 6S1.