Saving electricity: energy efficient appliances mean consumer savings and less strain on power supplies.

• Author: Rewey, Christie

Waste not, want not--and save, save, save. That is the motto behind energy efficiency. Cutting energy and trimming the amount needed to keep our lives humming leads to savings. And one way to do that is by using energy-frugal appliances that perform the same work with less power.

Shocked consumers in many parts of the country saw their monthly bills double or triple in 2000 and 2001. California, double-whammied in mid-2000 with high prices and not enough power, saw blackouts roll through the state. Many factors led to California's nightmare: an energy supply shortage, a botched plan of electric restructuring and possible price manipulation. Experts predicted a hot, dark, low-power summer of 2001.

But programs like 20/20 Rebate--mandated in 2001 and renewed in summer 2002 by Governor Gray Davis--helped the Golden State's situation. Under 20/20, customers who cut electricity use by 20 percent received refunds of 20 percent on their next electric bill. About a third of the customers took part and saved about 2,600 megawatts during summer 2001.

In the executive order that extended the program for another year, Davis calls the 20/20 program "a powerful financial incentive for Californians to continue their record setting conservation." Other emergency efforts like $10 million for efficient traffic signals and $60 million for efficient commercial lighting saved energy and helped keep the air conditioning on that summer.

Crisis intervention is not ideal policy, but California reminded everyone of how successful energy efficiency can be. An energy-efficient TV uses half the juice of a regular one. A compact fluorescent light bulb (providing much more pleasing light than it did in the 1980s) uses two-thirds less energy than a standard bulb.

LIGHTING A HOUSE FOR THREE MONTHS

The savings are real too: The average consumer could light her house for three months with the energy saved in a year by getting rid of a 10-year-old refrigerator. A new washing machine saves up to $120 a year over its 1993 cousin. These items often cost a bit more up front, but they're cheaper over time. On a statewide level, they can be handy when energy supplies dip.

To encourage the use of energy-efficient appliances, states can set minimum product efficiency standards. These can apply to all sorts of products that use electricity--from houses to appliances.

Not everyone likes the idea of standards, though. Manufacturers and retailers sometimes argue that if each state...