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" VIEW MORE PHOTOS Saving energy is good for the planet, for peace of mind and, incidentally, for the wallet. The latest energy-conscious products are also just plain good. Woman&amp;#039;s Day Special Interest Publications set out to demonstrate this by outfitting an entire real-life kitchen with appliances, lighting and other products with the Energy Star label. (Run by the U.S. government, the Energy Star program certifies an array of products that meet strict energy efficiency guidelines in their respective categories.)  We enlisted the Environmental Protection Agency, which administers Energy Star, and home-improvement experts from Lowe&amp;#039;s to turn a dated kitchen into an energy-efficient space for a typical family residing in the Northeast. After interviewing a number of candidates, we selected Jamie and Anne Orvis, who live in a 25-yearold Colonial in Fairfield, Connecticut, with their kids\u2014Ryan, 11, and Amanda, 7\u2014and their dog, Maui. Although they don&amp;#039;t consider themselves hard-core environmentalists, they&amp;#039;re loyal recyclers with a genuine concern for the environment. &amp;quot;We only have one earth,&amp;quot; Jamie says.  To accomplish the remodel, Jamie hired architect Rob Sanders, of Wilton, Connecticut, to map out the structural and engineering details. Jamie and Anne wanted to expand their diminutive kitchen\u2014and to upgrade their small, inefficient appliances\u2014but they didn&amp;#039;t want to expand the energy they used, or the expense of using it. They took their ideas to Lowe&amp;#039;s in Orange, Connecticut, to work with kitchen specialist Fozia Rafique. &amp;quot;She was tremendous,&amp;quot; Jamie says. &amp;quot;We went up there with a floor plan and said, &amp;#039;Here&amp;#039;s the space. We want an island with bar stools, lots of storage and an area for a desk.&amp;#039;&amp;quot; According to Rafique, it was the planning up front that helped the project go smoothly. &amp;quot;I was careful to ask Anne and Jamie exactly what they wanted and where they wanted it,&amp;quot; she says. Rafique immediately went to work showing the Orvises the various styles and colors of kitchen cabinets and surfaces then guiding them through the selection of energy-saving appliances. &amp;quot;Working with Lowe&amp;#039;s made the design process so much easier since everything we needed for the new kitchen was right there in the store,&amp;quot; Jamie says. The home now boasts new Energy Star\u2013rated appliances from Whirlpool, including a dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine and dehumidifier, plus Energy Star lighting, to go along with energy-saving, thermostat, windows and a water heater Jamie installed earlier. &amp;quot;For this project, we were looking at just one room,&amp;quot; says Energy Star&amp;#039;s Maria Vargas, &amp;quot;but there&amp;#039;s so much more you can do throughout the home.&amp;quot; This one room, however, has already started saving energy. Though the new kitchen is now nearly double the size of the old one, it actually uses less energy.  Not surprisingly, all the new appliances work much better than the old ones. &amp;quot;With the new washer, the wash cycle seems to be quicker,&amp;quot; Anne says, &amp;quot;and I think the performance of everything is better. The dishwasher can work with heated drying or not. I often try not to do the heated-dry to save energy, and it works out fine.&amp;quot;  Vargas says this is an important point when considering Energy Star-rated products. &amp;quot;You get the same technical ability, but you get it with less energy,&amp;quot; she says. In the Orvises&amp;#039; kitchen, the new refrigerator is a prime example. &amp;quot;One of the more welcome features of the new kitchen is the refrigerator motor isn&amp;#039;t running all the time,&amp;quot; says Jamie. As they subtracted energy costs, the Orvises added smart design. A key addition is the pantry, a walk-in space next to the refrigerator that borrows real estate from the old living room. &amp;quot;The pantry really turned out fantastic,&amp;quot; Jamie says. Anne also appreciates the new island, not only for its visual impact, but also for its convenience\u2014especially the second sink\u2014and the fact that she can work at it and still talk to people at the dining table. Anne and Jamie now find themselves spending more time cooking because it is so enjoyable to be in the kitchen. What the Orvis Family Saved According to Maria Vargas of the EPA&amp;#039;s energy Star program, the average American household spends about $1,900 a year on energy\u2014electricity and gas. (This figure is based on an EPA survey of a sampling of nearly 5,000 homes across the country.) About half of that amount derives from the cost of heating and cooling.  You can realize significant savings from more efficient appliances, lighting, windows and climate control. Vargas estimates that theOrvis family\u2014with their new energy Star refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine and dehumidifier, plus the new windows, programmable thermostat and lighting\u2014will save $290 a year. This represents a savings of 13 1/2 percent off their total energy bill, which was $2,145 last year. At this rate, in less than eight years, the Orvises will have saved enough to cover an entire year&amp;#039;s energy costs. Energy-Star Gazing The U.S. environmental Protection Agency initiated the energy Star program back in 1992 to help commercial and residential consumers protect the environment through energy efficiency.  The energy Star label goes on products that are in the top 25 percent in their category in terms of energy efficiency, says the program&amp;#039;s spokesperson Maria Vargas. &amp;quot;Technology has evolved to the point where you can now purchase more powerful appliances that save a substantial amount of energy over older models,&amp;quot; she says. Energy Star units are not only less expensive to run, they also tend to be technically superior, she says.  To those who want more stringent standards right now, Vargas says the program is pointless if the public doesn&amp;#039;t embrace it. &amp;quot;We still have consumers not comprehending that energy efficiency can also mean cost saving,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;Once you can educate consumers to understand this, it will become easier to get them to participate in the program.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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