Question

You are at the store with your friend's family and they are looking to buy a new refrigerator for their home. There are two options available that they are interested in buying. On one of them there is a sticker that says “Energy STAR Certified''. Below the sticker it says that this refrigerator is guaranteed to be at least 10% more energy efficient than non-energy star brands. How might you use your understanding of science to walk your friends' family through why this Energy STAR fridge is a better purchase for the environment?

Answer 1

Answer:

It will take 83 days to recover the extra cost

Explanation:

To determine the length of time it will take to recover the extra cost, it will be logical that we compare the $200 extra cost to the total savings in running cost made for a year and covert this into days

The total savings in running cost is the cost savings per hour multiplied by the number of hours in a year.

The calculations are set below:

Savings in running cost per hour = $0.1

Total savings in a year = 365 days ×  $0.1 × 24 = $876

Extra cost of Energy Star refrigerator = $200

If total savings for a year is  $876 , then equivalent length of time to save $200 would be

Length of time = 200/876 × 365 days = 83 days

It will take 83 days to recover the extra cost

Explanation: