Encouraging consumers to save energy has become a fairly common way for electric utilities to level peak-period loads and avoid building costly new power plants.(1)_______________________.As this winning refrigerator will likely be more expensive to manufacture than conventional models, the utility group intends to use the money to pay part of the cost of the mass-produced winning refrigerators so (2)______________________________.Refrigerators made 20 years ago consume some 1,500 to 1,800 kilowatt-hours annually.The new refrigerator would use 25 to 50 percent less electricity than will be required by Department of Energy standards, that is,about 900 kilowatt-hours.(3)_______________________.That would save the average owner up to 200 a year in electric bills over a 15-year old refrigerator.
