The Appliance and Electronics Idea File offers information about home appliances and electronics products. Click article titles to view each article:

Planning Your Homes Lighting: Inside & Out

The recent national energy bill banning incandescent bulbs by 2014 will find homeowners choosing among the latest energy-efficient residential lighting ...

FLO n STOP™—Keeps Homes Free From Sudden Water Damage

A popular new device featured at the 2008 Home Show provides homeowners a new level of safety and peace of mind&—when leaving on vacation—or just an afternoon shopping trip.

Plug Into Power Company for Energy Savings

The energy needed to power, light, heat, and cool the typical home grows bigger each year. Larger houses with more electric appliances are the reasons why.

Cook Up Some Energy Savings

Your kitchen can be a great place to cook up some energy savings! Today's electric ovens offer many new features that reduce cooking time, according to the Edison Electric Institute.

Home Electronics Use Growing

Could you live without your computer? What about a cell phone? Or microwave? Or television and DVD player? If your home is like most, it has an ever-growing number of appliances ...

Selecting The Right Standby Generator

If you are considering a backup generator purchase, there are important sizing and code requirements that you need to know to insure a safe and adequate standby generator installation.

Protect Your Home From Water Damage And Mold

A new Wireless Remote Controlled Water System developed by Millennium International Development Corporation can prevent damage to property, and can save homeowners water and money.

First Line Of Defense For Small Household Fires

First Control™—a new chemical and water fire suppressant delivery system ...

American Energy Systems Inc. Leads The World In Renewable Energy Heating Appliances

Over 34 years ago American Energy Systems Inc.; the manufacture of MagnuM corn, wood pellet, biomass, agri-fuel burning heating appliances, made a commitment to producing only biomass ...

Don't Undersize Circuits Or Extension Cords

Knowing how to select the wire size needed for circuits and extension cords can save you money, and improve your family's safety. If an extension cord is undersized, it creates a drop in voltage from one end to the wire to another.

Indoor Air Quality: Challenges And Design Tips For Healthy, Comfortable Home Ownership

No matter if you are a new home owner or if your home is years old, indoor air quality can effect your health, comfort, belongings and energy savings. The following is a list of indoor air quality challenges homeowners can face and the most comprehensive, effective whole-home solutions.

"It's Not The Heat … It's The Humidity!"

It is that time of year again, where the temperature and humidity start rising outside and the thermostat gets lowered inside. It is also the time of year when you hear people say, "It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity," and most likely they are right.

Installing New Appliances

Whether they’re in a new or remodeled kitchen, it’s a good idea to put new home appliances through their paces as soon as possible after installing them. That way, you can identify problems and have them corrected while the products are still in warranty—at the manufacturer’s expense, not yours.

Radiant Heat Stoves And Ovens

While grandma was surely a gifted cook, she couldn’t have created those marvelous meals without radiant heat. That was the cooking method of those old fashioned stoves, and radiant heat a cooking method that produces consistently delicious and nutritious meals.

Laundry Tips: Baby Clothes Create Challenges

When baby makes three, life on the home front sees many changes, not the least of which is a whole new set of laundry needs. Not only is there a massive increase in the amount of dirty laundry when an infant joins a household, say Whirlpool Corporation’s home economists, but there are also challenging new soils and stains to be handled.

Consumer Electronics And The Environment

Innovative consumer electronics products have had a tremendous impact on almost every aspect of our lives. But, there’s one place where electronics products should have no impact—our environment.

Your Home's Secret Energy Users

Electronics equipment and appliances in your home—from TVs, video game consoles, cable boxes, DVDs and VCRs to computers, printers and battery chargers—may account for as much as 5 percent of your total monthly household electric bill. This article provides ideas to help you reduce the impact on energy expenses.

Cook Up Some Energy Savings

Some kitchen appliances are big energy users, particularly ovens. But modern electric ovens offer many new features that can help reduce cooking times and lower home energy costs, according to the Edison Electric Institute.

Installing Towel Warmers

Towel warmers are becoming increasingly popular. Whether contemporary or traditional in décor, you can now find a towel warmer design and finish to compliment your bathroom, indoor spa or home excersize room.

Choosing A Vacuum Cleaner: A Trendy New Way To Buy

Vacuum cleaner selection used to come down to a simple comparison of specifications and features listed on vacuum product cartons. But now, an innovator in the vacuum cleaner industry has set out to change the way consumers choose vacuum cleaners by letting them take a "test" drive before they buy.

Choosing A New Cooktop Or Range

Cooking needs change over time, reflecting the changing dynamics of family makeup and lifestyle choices we make. The next time a kitchen appliance bites the dust, take some time to consider how your cooking needs have changed and how your choice of kitchen appliances might need to change as well.

Choosing A Microwave Oven

Microwaves are now among the most popular appliances in the kitchen. With a growing variety of styles and features available, careful consideration of your family's needs before choosing a new microwave is important.

Moving Major Home Appliances Takes Special Care

Moving major home appliances is never a simple task, but a successful move is more likely if you check each appliance manufacturer's use and care guide for special moving instructions and precautions.

Tips For Installing Home Appliances

More and more homeowners are choosing to install their own appliances. Yet even when you contract for appliance installation, you're likely responsible for ensuring that appropriate electrical service and access are available. These tips from Whirlpool can help make your next appliance installation go smoothly.

Black And White Kitchens: Designing A Kitchen With impact

Black and white kitchen designs never seem to go out of style, making black and white decorating schemes well worth your consideration. These tips from major kitchen appliance manufacturers can help you tap the beauty and functionality of this timeless trend.

Carbon Monoxide Detector Standards Tightened

Plagued by false alarms from carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home? An increasing number of false alarms triggered by household carbon monoxide detectors have imposed significant burdens on emergency response personnel in recent years. Here's what's being done to correct the problem.

Indoor/Outdoor Grills Offer Safety and Convenience

Portable indoor electric grills have gained enormous popularity in recent years. Now the new, All Seasons Electric Grills from Kenyon bring the advantages of indoor and outdoor electric grilling to kitchens, decks and patios everywhere. Portable and built-in models are available.

'Tis The Season For ... Grilling?

Everyone seems to love grilling. But, until recently, grilling activities were mostly reserved for summertime. Learn how today's new grilling appliances, including innovative indoor/outdoor electric grills, are changing grilling habits forever.

Woodstove Safety Tips

Many homeowners are taking advantage of the added comfort and energy savings made possible by modern woodstoves and wood burning appliances. Yet few have the technical "know-how" to install a woodstove, fireplace insert or other wood burning appliance properly, and fewer still understand all of the pertinent building code requirements in their community.

GE Receives 2006 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award

Energy Star Sustained Excellence Awards are granted by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to manufacturers that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to energy efficiency. In 2006, GE Consumer & Industrial's appliance and lighting divisions were recognized for their efforts.

Using Air Conditioners To Control Humidity--Inefficient And Ineffective

Most of us recognize that high humidity levels can make it seem warmer than it actually is. Many also believe that air conditioners are an effective tool for lowering indoor humidity. But air conditioners are, in fact, less effective and efficient than whole home dehumidifiers at reducing indoor humidity levels.

Energy Fun Facts

Quick tips and information from the Edison Electric Institute can help you learn more about how your home uses energy and what you can do to minimize the impact on your wallet.

Energy Efficiency Tax Credits

Recent changes in U.S. tax law provide tax credits to homeowners for installation of energy-saving home improvement products. Here's how you can put the tax credits to work in your home.

Tips To Head Off High Seasonal Cooling Bills

Tips from the CertainTeed Home Institute explain in simple terms how homeowners can dampen the impact of increasing energy costs in their homes.

Saving Energy With Fans

Even if you have air conditioning appliances installed in your home, fans offer the potential to improve indoor comfort and may help significantly lower your home's energy use.

High Tech Thermostats: New Thermostats Meet Homeowner And Environmental Needs

Appliance manufacturers are using advanced technologies to enhance common home control systems with "smart" features and environmetally friendly design. One major heating and cooling equipment manufacturer has applied those principles to provide a high tech, user-friendly thermostat.

Energy Efficient Water Heaters

Water heaters have long been among the most energy-hungry appliances in a home. This system applies a little American ingenuity to help make a difference.