LIBBY LEWIS: I'm Libby Lewis. I'm in Takoma Park, Maryland. I'm here at the showroom of Appliance Distributors Unlimited. More buyers are turning to energy saving appliances to wash and dry their clothes, chill their food and heat their water. ADU, as it's called, is catering to those customers.
Ed Janeski runs this showroom.
Mr. ED JANESKI (Showroom Manager, Appliance Distributors Unlimited): Manufacturers are - they're jumping to the gun. And as I flip through this little catalogue here, you'll see Energy Star, Energy Star. And it's so important to me that they put that blue label on almost everything they're making.
LEWIS: That label guarantees an appliance meets strict energy efficiency standards set by the government, and it lets consumers know how much they'll pay and save in energy costs with that dishwasher or washer drier.
Energy Star appliances are growing in popularity as energy prices have gone up. One in three American households bought an Energy Star product last year. ADU doesn't just sell energy-smart appliances, it's taken steps to permanently reduce its energy use.
Janeski says the company is moving to energy-efficient lighting and recycling and more.
Mr. JANESKI: In all our locations, we've put a programmable thermostat here to cut off the heat or air conditioning during our off hours.
LEWIS: It's just one way this appliance store, like the cruise lines and airlines, the newspaper delivery man, and countless other businesses, will be saving energy and money for years to come.
Libby Lewis, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
