The past few months, I’ve been acting as the “consulting designer / installer” for a friend’s new Ikea kitchen.  It was an interesting exercise to watch myself trade off energy efficiency considerations with aesthetic and design issues.  For example:  would I opt for the sexy side-by-side fridge with built-in ice & water dispenser and digital controls that my friend was swooning over?  Or the simple, but energy efficient top freezer model with no bells and whistles?

Turns out that I ended up recommending the sexy side-by-side model, even though I knew that simpler top or bottom freezer models generally have better energy efficiency.  How I ended up with this choice is an interesting example of why “rules of thumb” are helpful guides, but in the end, you have to look at each situation on its own merits.

Our first consideration was the big sale Ikea was having on appliances.  Their price points alone would force us to give them serious consideration.  Secondly, for aesthetic reasons, I knew that a counter-depth fridge (versus a standard free-standing model) would give the kitchen a much more professional look, since the fridge would be flush with the cabinets.  But it turns out that Ikea has only one counter-depth fridge, and it is a side-by-side model with all the sexy trimmings.

So I ran the numbers.  The “Nutid” counter-depth side-by-side fridge (love those Ikea product names) has an estimated annual energy cost of $59.  This compares to an annual cost of about $50 for Ikea’s similarly sized (25 cubic feet) bottom freezer model without ice/water dispenser.  Both are Energy Star qualified. 

I ran a little spreadsheet to see how these two models compared against the energy costs for a “typical” 25 cubic foot Energy Star fridge: 

• Average Energy Star side-by-side model:  $63/year
• Average Energy Star bottom freezer model:  $55/year (the largest Energy Star top freezer model is only 22 cubic feet).

While the rule-of-thumb was correct, the actual energy costs of the specific side-by-side model we were looking at was only $4 more per year than the typical Energy Star bottom freezer, and only $9 more than Ikea’s bottom freezer model.  That was close enough for me to feel good recommending the “sexy” side-by-side, on both aesthetic and energy efficiency grounds, despite what my thumb had to say.

Not only did California get federal stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but so did New Jersey.

Starting today, April 1st and ending on April 30th all New Jersey Residents can get an extra $25 or $50 rebate for their ENERGY STAR Dishwashers, depending on the gallons of water used per cycle. Download the list of eligible dishwashers.

You can also get a $35 rebate on select ENERGY STAR Clothes Washers, although they don’t use much energy compared to dryers and yet there are no ENERGY STAR Dryers, because according to the DOE: “…most dryers use similar amounts of energy, which means there is little difference in the energy use between models.”  You can find the list of eligible clothes washers here.

Thank goodness there are additional rebates for ENERGY STAR Refrigerators too.  These appliances run 24/7, which means the more efficient they are the better.  You can get an extra $75 for refrigerators that are 20% better than the federal standard and $100 for refrigerators that are 25% better than the federal standard.  Download the list of eligible refrigerators and take it to the store with you.

Remember these funds only last for 30 days starting today.

Want to see whether you should get a new dishwasher or a new refrigerator, create a project in Wattbot and we’ll tell you which appliance will save you the most over time- we even factor in these rebates to make your decision simple.

Are you in the middle of a kitchen remodel?  Or are you thinking about whether or not you should replace your 10 year old refrigerator?  Maybe you’ve had your heart set on that new matching red clothes washer and dryer set for a while now - oops, I’m projecting - well wait until April 22 to buy them, because you’ll get an added rebate.

Starting April 22, 2010 and ending May 23, 2010, the California Energy Commission will give you a rebate in addition to your local utility’s appliance rebate programs.  The Cash4Appliances program gives you the following:

Eligible Refrigerators - $200 
Eligible Clothes Washers - $100 
Eligible Room Air Conditioners - up to $50

Here are a few rules to keep in mind:

1. You have to buy these appliances from an in-state store.  Amazon or BestBuy.com purchases aren’t eligible.  However, BestBuy purchases made in their stores are eligible.
2. You have to show proof that you recycled your old appliance before you can get the rebate.
3. You have to buy your appliances between April 22, 2010 and May 23, 2010 and rebate claims must be postmarked by June 25, 2010.

So if you were thinking about getting a new refrigerator, clothes washer or room air conditioner - browse the stores, see if they’re a good investment and then purchase them between April 22nd and May 23rd.