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Refrigerators and Freezers

Smeg Retro Washer

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I love the look of Smeg’s retro refrigerator that we wrote about Here.

Smeg adds to the look with its  free-standing washing machine sink combo.

Washing Machine:

  • 15 washing programs
  • Variable spin speed from 600 up to 1600 rpm
  • Delay timer
  • Max 5 kg of dry laundry
  • steel drum and tank
  • Extra large 300 mm porthole
  • Door safety lock
  • Automatic variable load
  • Self cleaning pump & filter
  • adjustable feet

The washer is available in pink or blue, the only catch is that these are still sold only in Europe!  We’ll have to wait…

Gladiator GarageWorks Summer Discounts

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Gladiator GarageWorks Annual Green Your Garage Sale, which runs from July 19, 2010 – August 16, 2010, is offering $150 off and free home delivery of the Chillerator garage refrigerator, the only ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerator on the market built to handle the extreme temperatures and humidity of the garage.  Additionally, it is offering $75 off and free home delivery of the Trash Compactor, a compactor designed specifically for the garage environment that can help consumers minimize the total volume of their trash and use fewer trash bags.

“As part of the Whirlpool portfolio of products, Gladiator brand has always been committed to providing eco-friendly solutions whenever possible,” said Lou Ann Schafer, senior marketing manager, Gladiator GarageWorks. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer products that help consumers save money as well as offering sustainable alternatives to traditional models.”

New Bosch VitaFresh Refrigeration

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Available in Bosch’s new French Door refrigerator, VitaFresh utilizes a food preservation technology perfected by Bosch in Europe. A proprietary high-tech lining within the VitaFresh drawers works with precise climate sensors to automatically maintain the perfect balance of temperature, humidity, and air circulation – without the need to adjust any confusing settings.

VitaFresh works automatically to adjust temperature and humidity settings when produce is added in the crisper drawer.

VitaFresh technology is a two part system that automatically maintains:

1. Ideal Temperature

  • Sensors ensure the temperature is consistently at just above freezing, the ideal level for optimized freshness and longer storage results
  • The directional airflow system provides indirect cooling over the VitaFresh drawers. This prevents dry, cold air from being blown directly against fruits and vegetables and significantly reduces the dry-out effect that shortens storage life

2. Automatic Humidity Control

  • Utilizing technology perfected by Bosch in Europe, a proprietary high-tech lining regulates how much, or how little moisture is required for the type of produce stored in the drawers to keep produce fresher, longer

Efficient Performance

  • The ENERGY STAR-qualified French Door refrigerator is engineered to meet strict efficiency standards and requires less energy, and money, to operate
  • A door open alarm helps prevent energy waste by alerting users when the refrigerator door has been left open
  • SuperCool and SuperFreeze modes quickly balance temperatures between cool items and newly placed goods in the fridge and freezer. This helps foods stay fresh by minimizing temperature fluctuations

The ENERGY STAR -qualified Bosch French Door refrigerator featuring VitaFresh technology is now available with a MSRP of $2,999.

Samsung’s New 2010 Appliances

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Samsung’s new home appliance product line for 2010 includes a front-loading washer with a spacious 5.0 cu.ft. capacity and a new intense PowerFoam cleaning technology, a new Four-Door Refrigerator with a unique mid-drawer positioned at counter height that opens to the outside and has independent temperature control, a new line of side-by-side refrigerators highlighted by the best in class energy efficiency, and the first hybrid induction range.

The new washer,  offers a spacious 5.0 cu.ft. capacity to help get more wash done in less time. It also features the newly improved Vibration Reduction Technology Plus, which reduces rattling and noise, making it so  families hardly know they’re on and allowing them to put their laundry machines anywhere they prefer. Samsung hopes to eliminate the need for all those stain-treatment sticks with the new PowerFoam feature that pre-dissolves detergent into powerful foam for a more thorough washing. In addition, PureCycle alerts consumers with a gentle chime after 40 washes and allows consumers to clean their machine with the press of a button using hot water, not harsh chemicals. These are both available in colors stainless platinum or white, and prices range from $1,399-$1,549.

Samsung’s Four-Door Refrigerator  offers a counter-height FlexZone Drawer with Temperature Control and SmartDivider that is accessible to everyone in the family. The flexible mid-drawer opens separately from the exterior of the refrigerator, ensuring that no cold air is lost from the main refrigerator or freezer compartments. The drawer itself can be temperature-controlled to store different types of food including snacks, party platters, deli meats, or beverages, and the Smart Divider allows families to adjust how the drawer is organized. It’s proprietary Twin Cooling System Plus keeps food  fresh by eliminating odor transfer and maintaining optimal humidity levels in each compartment. It is available in stainless platinum, stainless steel, black and white for $2,699-$2,999.
Samsung’s new Energy Efficient Side-By-Side Refrigerators, are among the most energy efficient refrigerators on the market. Through a combination of  features such as a proprietary insulation system, electric temperature sensors, LED tower lighting, and Samsung’s Twin Cooling System, the new side-by-side refrigerators can use up to 30 percent less energy than Department of Energy minimum standards. It is available in black, white, stainless steel, stainless platinum for $999-$1,799.

Energy Star Credibility

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy recently outlined a new two-step process to strengthen the credibility of the Energy Star brand.

Step 1: Testing. More aggressive product testing will be required in the future in order to be Energy Star-certified.

DOE began tests at third-party test labs on six of the most common appliances categories:
• freezers
• refrigerator-freezers
• clothes washers
• dishwashers
• water heaters
• room air-conditioners.
DOE noted that these appliances account for at least 25% of a typical homeowner’s energy bill. It will test about 200 basic models in the coming months.

The agencies are also developing a new system to require all products seeking the Energy Star label to be tested in approved labs and require ongoing verification testing.

Step 2 Enforcement.

The agencies have taken action against 35 companies in the last 4 months to enforce compliance with Energy Star as well as with DOE’s minimum appliance efficiency standards. A news release details some of the enforcement actions taken in 2009-2010, including:

• July 2009: Subpoenas issued to AeroSys Inc. to obtain air-conditioner and heat pump documentation.
• Sept. 2009: AeroSys required to provide product samples for DOE testing to verify models met U.S. federal minimum energy efficiency standards.
• Dec. 2009: DOE and EPA took steps to remove Energy Star labels from 20 LG refrigerator-freezer models that had been shown, via testing by multiple independent labs, to consume more energy than allowed by Energy Star criteria.
• Jan. 2010: DOE signed a Consent Decree with Haier regarding actions to address four Haier freezer models, including two Energy Star models, that were consuming more energy than reported.
• March 2010: EPA terminated its Energy Star relationship with US Inc./US Refrigeration based on a history of logo misuse, unresponsiveness, and failure to comply with program guidelines.

Other actions addressed problems with lightbulb and showerhead manufacturers.

The agencies noted that Energy Star violations receive much media attention but account for a small percentage of total products in the program. A recent independent review found 98% compliance.

EnergyStar Ratings – Can They be Trusted?

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According to retailers, the Federal Appliance Rebate Program has increased appliance purchases nationwide.  The rebate is for energy efficient appliances which is great – only you might not be getting what that EnergyStar  label promises.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that some Energy Star products aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Responding to a request for investigation from Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), the GAO submitted 20 fictitious products between June 2009 and March 2010 for certification by Energy Star, a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). Fifteen of the fakes–including a phony “room-air cleaner” that was little more than a space heater with a feather duster taped to it–received an Energy Star label.

Parade Magazine reports that in response, federal officials announced plans to strengthen the program. From now on, each application will be reviewed individually by an EPA staff member (as opposed to the automated approval process previously in place). By the end of the year, companies that want Energy Star certification for their products will be required to submit lab results from an independent testing agency rather than conduct their own evaluations.

Meanwhile, consumer advocates say we can still have faith in our Energy Star appliances: Most Energy Star brands on the market are about 10% more energy-efficient than their counterparts.

Sen. Collins applauds the reforms, calling them long overdue. “Energy Star wasn’t just slipping a bit,” she says. “It was in danger of falling off the quality cliff–putting taxpayers at risk of getting ripped off. Now that the EPA and DOE are moving to put more stringent oversight in place, I believe consumers will be better served and the integrity of the program will be restored.”

Just How Much Energy is That Appliance Using?

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My computer stays on through the week, only getting shut off on the weekend.  My answering machine and TV stay plugged in, their little red lights glowing in the night.  I do turn off the treadmill between uses and the DVD player too.

My energy habits are probably similar to many Americans.  If you’re wondering how much energy you’re wasting, or conversely, saving by turning appliances off, check out this energy calculator from GE:

This is a really cool tool that calculates  how much power each appliance consumes in watts or kilowatthours.  Alternatively, you can see how much each appliance costs to use in dollars, and how much it consumes in equivalent gallons of gas.

Some appliances are marked with a blue star indicating that an  EnergyStar model is available or click on the green star to see how much energy (and money) you’ll save with a new appliance.

Approved Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Programs

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If you are wondering which Department of Energy (DOE) rebates are available in your state, just check out this interactive map.  There is also a simple table listing the individual states along with the total rebate dollars available, websites and phone numbers.

DOE has approved the appliance rebate programs for the states and territories linked or listed on this page as of April 27, 2010. This list and map will be updated as additional program details are available.  This DOE site is the only official DOE-sponsored Web site – beware of other unofficial sites.

Appliance Rebates are Here – But Not for Long

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The federal appliance rebates are finally here, but if you want yours, you’d better act fast.

According to the Wall Street Journal,  in Florida  the $17.6 million allocated for the program lasted a day and half, as more than 72,000 claims were filed. In Illinois, the second half of its $12.4 million, made available on Friday, April 16th disappeared in 11 hours.

Nationwide, $300 million in rebate money has been allocated by the federal government to 56 states and territories to encourage residents to buy furnaces, clothes washers, refrigerators and other appliances with the government’s Energy Star label. Typically, rebates run about $75 for a clothes washer and several hundred dollars for home heating and cooling systems.

But in an experience reminiscent of last year’s popular “cash for clunkers” program, which paid consumers to trade in gas-guzzling automobiles, interest in the appliance programs has been so been intense that the state programs are often running dry in a matter of days.

For example, Melissa Woodall, a single mother of three in Miami, said she began scanning appliance ads a few weeks ago for a new stove. She noticed an article about the rebates and decided to replace her old, leaky dishwasher and refrigerator.

The day before qualified purchases were allowed, she visited Sears to pick out the appliances. On Friday, she arrived to the store at 6:30 a.m. and found 49 customers in line. Fortunately, the store had given her a printout the night before. All she had to do was pay and arrange delivery, which still took an hour and a half in the crowded store.

And the ordeal was not over, Ms. Woodall said — she still had to get the rebate itself. At 11 a.m., when online signups began, she and her sister went to the state’s rebate site. “The Web site was flooded. It kept crashing,” she said. It took her an hour and 15 minutes to get registered for the rebate.

It was worth it, Ms. Woodall said. She paid about $1,500 for the dishwasher and fridge and will be getting about $500 back.

Each state has structured its own program, sometimes excluding certain appliances like air-conditioners or requiring proof that old appliances were recycled before paying out the cash. The amount of money available varies widely, from more than $35 million in California, where the program was scheduled to start on Thursday in connection with Earth Day, to $100,000 in American Samoa.

The federal government created the appliance rebate program as part of the 2009 stimulus legislation, and retailers say it has increased sales.

The high interest is understandable. The rebate programs come on top of existing discounts on Energy Star appliances, recycling and take-back rebates for old units, and specials provided by individual retailers. In some cases, consumers may qualify for federal or state tax credits, too.

Whirlpool Wins $1.78 Million From LG in Patent Case

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According to Businessweek.com, Whirlpool Corp., the world’s largest appliance maker, won $1.78 million in patent- infringement damages from Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. in a continuing dispute over refrigerator technology.

After a seven-day trial in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, the jury of five women and three men also decided that Whirlpool didn’t infringe an LG icemaker patent. “We’re gratified that the jury found that our patent is both valid and infringed,” Scott F. Partridge, one of Whirlpool’s lawyers, said in an interview after the verdict.

LG, of Seoul, sued Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Whirlpool in 2008 alleging infringement of a U.S. patent for an ice dispenser. Whirlpool countersued, claiming LG infringed patents for in-door ice-access and warp-proof refrigerator liners. LG said in a statement it would seek a judicial review of the verdict.

During two days of deliberations, jurors repeatedly examined a row of LG and Whirlpool double-door refrigerators with icemakers lined up in the courtroom, comparing claims of the patents and how the equipment works.

LG had asked the jury to award it more than $1 million in royalties, and Whirlpool originally asked for a minimum of $22.1 million in its suit.

The case was complicated by a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling in Washington last month that LG didn’t violate a Whirlpool patent for ice storage and may still import refrigerators.

In its statement, LG said the jury “was not permitted to hear any evidence concerning the ITC investigation.”

LG is the No. 3 appliance maker behind Whirlpool and Sweden’s Electrolux AB. LG reported more than $7 billion in home appliance sales last year and is aiming to become the world’s largest maker of refrigerators and washing machines by 2012.

LG agreed to modify the design of the ice maker in some of its refrigerators to resolve part of the ITC dispute.