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Ovens - When buying an oven, your first decision should be whether you want a gas oven or an electric. This decision can be made according to your cooking preferences. Also, consider the type of cleaning process it uses. Standard cleaning ovens require you to clean it yourself. Self-cleaning ovens often have programmable cleaning settings that use high temperatures to clean residue from the oven. Continuous cleaning ovens have special finishes that absorb or burn off splatters from the oven.

Refrigerators - A rule of thumb when buying a refrigerator is that you need to consider the number of people in your household to determine the capacity you need. For example, a family of two needs at least 8 to 10 cubic feet, then add another cubic foot of space for each family member. Refrigerators with freezers on the top are more energy efficient than models with side freezers.

Dishwashers - When choosing a dishwasher, you should find out how many gallons of water it uses during different cycles. Look for features that reduce water use. Newer, more expensive stainless steel models enhance efficiency during drying cycles and can tolerate higher water temperatures.

Ventilation Hoods - The fan will be the most important factor here. Axial fans are inexpensive but not as powerful as centrifugal fans. Also, tempered glass light lenses in a ventilation hood is essential. They are tougher than plastic lenses, so they will last longer. You should also consider buying one with a low sone number. Sones measure the noise level created by air-moving appliances, and the lower the sone number, the quieter it is.

Garbage Disposal Systems - When shopping for a garbage disposal, there are several things to consider in order to arrive at the best disposal to fit your needs. You need to take into account the number of meals that are prepared in your kitchen per week, how often you entertain, and the amount of noise it makes, as well as a long product life. Find out also if your kitchen is hooked up to a septic or water system.

Air Conditioners - When looking for a powerful air conditioner, check out the yellow energy tag (represented as Energy Efficiency Ratio or EER) and consider its efficiency. The Energy Efficiency Ratio, or EER, ranges from 8 to 12, so the higher the EER number, the better the efficiency. After this, you also need to consider the space of the room you'll be putting the air conditioner in, as well as your budget. How big is the room? Is it important that the whole room be cooled? Is there variable weather? Do I move from room to room a lot? The answers to these questions will help you find the suitable model for your needs. Try to match the unit's cooling capacity with the size of the room. According to the Department of Energy, air conditioner size should be determined by multiplying the room's square feet by 20.

Water Heaters - Look for hot water heaters that are energy efficient. The EnergyGuide label gives you two important pieces of information when you're comparing different brands and models: estimated energy consumption and estimated yearly operating costs. Use this information to determine which models are the most energy efficient. Tank size or capacity refers to the amount of water, in gallons, that the water heater will hold. The more gallons you need per hour, the larger the tank must be. Of course there are also tank-less systems which heat water as you need it. Tankless water systems are powered by either electricity or gas and turn off when not in use. However, they have trouble supplying large amounts of hot water at any one time.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of http://www.annashopping.com where you can get all kinds of household appliances, accessories, shoes, and everything else under the sun. Visit us for all your shopping needs.