One great source of home energy usage is your electric appliances. Between lighting, refrigerators and the numerous other machines Americans use, about 30 percent of your home energy usage goes to power appliances. And while you may not be willing to give any of them up entirely, you can reduce your consumption anyway, by using energy-efficient appliances and fixtures.

Energy Star products have been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the most efficient in the nation. Standards vary, but, for example, refrigerators must be at least 15 percent less energy than required by the current federal standards to receive the label. Energy Star air conditioning units must use 10 percent less energy, and Energy Star dishwashers must use 41 percent less energy.

Energy Star products come in a wide range of styles and with a wide range of options. Clothes washers can be front-loading or top-loading. Refrigerators are available with icemakers and exterior ice dispensers. And besides big appliances (refrigerators, AC units, dehumidifiers, dishwashers and clothes washers), the Energy Star label is now available on smaller electronics as well. Your television could be 30 percent more energy-efficient (and it could still come with high definition or a plasma screen!). Even your ceiling fans could be more efficient.

In addition to lowering power plant emissions by reducing your electricity use, using Energy Star products can also save you money. For example, the Energy Star website estimates that a dishwasher with its label initially will cost about $50 more than a conventional model ($500 rather than $450), but that, given typical electric rates, it will save $79 in energy costs compared to a conventional model over its lifetime. The resulting savings: $29. And, while an Energy Star clothes washer can cost $300 more than a conventional one, it will also save you money in the long run: $430 in energy costs over its lifetime, for a total savings of $130.

The Energy Star website (http://www.energystar.gov) has calculators that can estimate how much money you’re saving, and how many pounds of carbon dioxide emissions you’re preventing, when you invest in energy-efficient appliances (click on the relevant appliance, and then on Savings Calculator). The website also features lists of all the brands and models of appliances that carry the Energy Star label. Don’t wait until you need a new appliance to consider purchasing an Energy Star product. You can begin saving money - and the environment - right now.