Terri writes from Glendale, Arizona: “I understand it is important to have appliances checked regularly to save energy. Can you tell me what to look for and what I should do?”

This is outside my core area of expertise because I have been making insulation commercials for 25 years, not appliance commercials. However, I do know about some sources of information that might help. One is the Energy Savers booklet produced by the US Department of Energy. There is a chapter on appliances but don't overlook the sections on Water Heating and Heating and Cooling because they also refer to equipment maintenance. The DOE also has two Technology Fact Sheets that can help. One is titled Energy-Efficient Appliances and the other is Energy Efficiency Pays. Also, consider whether you might be better off buying a new energy efficient appliance. According to the National Resource Defense Council website, if you buy one of today's most energy efficient refrigerators it will use less than half the energy of a model that's 12 years old or older. Thanks for asking.