You bought a new house and are looking for new appliances for your home. Or, maybe your old appliances are worn out and need to be replaced. Whatever may be the reason, next time you consider buying or replacing anything, be sure to check the energy rating before you seal the deal. If you buy any home appliance without knowing its energy rating, be ready to pay higher energy bills as its quite likely that you’ve picked up the wrong model.
Energy-efficient home appliances will not only save you money but are also environment-friendly. This means, choosing an efficient dishwasher or refrigerator will reduce your carbon footprint and conserve valuable natural resources.
Another brilliant way of reducing your carbon footprint is by installing heat pumps for your home. They’re not only energy-efficient, but als0 produce clean energy in return. All you have to do is ensure that you carry out regular servicing for optimal performance!
How Much Can You Save With Energy-efficient Home Appliances?
Every time you use an energy-efficient appliance, you’ll be saving money which adds up over time and becomes substantial. For instance, an energy-efficient fridge can help save £35 annually and about £350 over its lifespan. Washing machines that are energy-efficient use ⅔ less water and electricity respectively.
The savings you’ll make will be sufficient to pay for half a years’s worth of washing powder. On the other hand, an energy-efficient dishwasher can save you up to £15 annually on your electricity bills.
Eventually, if you replaced all your home appliances with energy-efficient versions, the savings would depict a substantial reduction in your yearly energy bills. But how will you determine whether an appliance is energy-efficient or not?
How To Pick Energy-efficient Home appliances?
You can easily spot an energy-efficient appliance by the labels they have attached. Look for the Energy Star symbol, the blue Energy Saving Recommended logo and the EU energy rating label.
EU energy rating label is perhaps, one of the most useful indicators that shows an efficiency rating ranging from A to G with A being highly efficient. An A-rated home appliance will use about half the power as compared to a G-rated model. By law, all appliances sold by a retailer in the EU must have this label.
Energy Labels – How Do They Work?
Energy labels are usually given to products on the basis of the category of their size. What this means is that two home appliances varying in size with the same energy rating may consume completely different amounts of electricity. For example, the operating cost of an A-rated 180 ltr refrigerator with a freezer could come up to £43 a year and on the other hand, a larger 525-ltr refrigerator with an A+ rating could cost you £57 on a yearly basis.
This is why the importance of checking energy labels on home appliances cannot be stressed enough for the product size you want.
Tips To Operate Your Home Appliances In a More Efficient Manner
The extent of electricity used by your home appliances will completely depend on how you use them and where you keep them in your home. For instance, a fridge or a freezer that’s half-full consumes more energy when compared to a full one. Also, a fridge is likely to use more electricity if it’s placed next to an oven or a heater.
The tips listed below can help make the most of your home appliances in terms of saving energy and money in the long run.
- When using your washing machine, see to it that you wash loads at 40C instead of 60C as modern washing powders work well even at lower temperatures.
- Avoid washing part loads. It’s best to wait till you have a full load before you use the dishwasher or the washing machine. Better yet, choose the economy setting as per the quantity you need to wash.
- Avoid leaving the door of your refrigerator or freezer open as this lets the cold air escape. The fridge then has to draw extra electricity to reduce the temperature within which of course will cost you money.
- Avoid storing warm food in your fridge. Allow the food to cool down first before you place it in the fridge.
- Regularly defrost both your fridge and freezer so that it keeps functioning at maximum efficiency.
- Refrain from leaving appliances on standby. A TV consumes up to 7% of electricity to switch on again.
This is everything you need to know about being energy-efficient with appliances at home. With these tips, you can be sure of getting the perfect appliance for your home that’ll not only save you money but also make you more green in your approach.