4 ms·

That sounds like a classic upfront cost fallacy, especially if you haven’t revisited it with actual calculations and for other appliance types.

zdragnar 1y ago
Just for kicks I thought I'd look around to see how my memory was, and I realized I was thinking of the yellow energy guide numbers. Since there's no numbers attached to the energy star certification itself, it's a meaningless label that doesn't really tell what the difference is. With the energy guide labels, at least there's a point of comparison. Even then, the difference between models of a few types of appliances I checked were typically in the 1-3% of the product cost range. The single biggest I could find online happened to be in TVs, where one brand's 65" was half the estimated annual electric cost of another- a savings of $20 per year! It'd pay for the difference in price between the models in 3 years, and pay for itself in 25! Granted, I didn't see numbers for the likely worst offenders: central air conditioning and electric ovens.
- relaxing 1y ago
  The numbers are the same because the system worked, and manufacturers starting engineering energy efficiency into all their lines.
  - zdragnar 1y ago
    Not all appliances I looked at were energy star certified. The energy guide (yellow label with cost estimates) is mandatory for most appliances. The energy efficiency is quantified as an estimated annual cost of operation. Energy star certification is a voluntary and binary thing. There's no readily visible difference between appliances with or without the energy star certification, short of going back to the energy guide label to compare.
    - relaxing 1y ago
      I repeat, the system worked, and manufacturers starting engineering energy efficiency into all their lines. There are knock on effects like economies of scale making energy efficient parts cheaper to source, marketing the latest technology driving consumer expectations, and manufacturers flat out copying each others’ designs.

zdragnar 1y ago

Just for kicks I thought I'd look around to see how my memory was, and I realized I was thinking of the yellow energy guide numbers. Since there's no numbers attached to the energy star certification itself, it's a meaningless label that doesn't really tell what the difference is. With the energy guide labels, at least there's a point of comparison. Even then, the difference between models of a few types of appliances I checked were typically in the 1-3% of the product cost range. The single biggest I could find online happened to be in TVs, where one brand's 65" was half the estimated annual electric cost of another- a savings of $20 per year! It'd pay for the difference in price between the models in 3 years, and pay for itself in 25! Granted, I didn't see numbers for the likely worst offenders: central air conditioning and electric ovens.

relaxing 1y ago
The numbers are the same because the system worked, and manufacturers starting engineering energy efficiency into all their lines.
- zdragnar 1y ago
  Not all appliances I looked at were energy star certified. The energy guide (yellow label with cost estimates) is mandatory for most appliances. The energy efficiency is quantified as an estimated annual cost of operation. Energy star certification is a voluntary and binary thing. There's no readily visible difference between appliances with or without the energy star certification, short of going back to the energy guide label to compare.
  - relaxing 1y ago
    I repeat, the system worked, and manufacturers starting engineering energy efficiency into all their lines. There are knock on effects like economies of scale making energy efficient parts cheaper to source, marketing the latest technology driving consumer expectations, and manufacturers flat out copying each others’ designs.