Energy Saving Appliances
Energy saving appliances can make a real difference to the energy consumption of what are, for most people, necessities. When purchasing a new washing machine or fridge/freezer it often makes financial and environmental sense to choose the energy efficient option. There is a scheme which issues an Energy Saving Recommended logo to individual appliances where the manufacturers meet strict guidelines on energy efficiency performance.
Always remember to switch appliances off standby when you have finished using them. Incredibly, £1 billion worth of energy is wasted in the UK every year by people leaving appliances on standby.
Energy Efficient Kettles
Electric kettles are found and used regularly in the majority of kitchens. Energy Saving Recommended kettles or commercial water boilers have to meet strict testing and evaluation to obtain the right to use the energy saving logo. An energy saving kettle must use 20% less energy than an average kettle.
If every household in the UK boiled only the water they needed each time they used the kettle, we could save enough electricity in a year to power the UK’s street lights for 2 months. This equates to enough electricity to power over 70,000 homes for a full year.
Energy Saving Washing Machines
Washing machines are assessed for their ecological impact on 3 categories; energy efficiency, spin efficiency and wash performance. To reach the prestigious industry standard of a 'triple A' rated washing machine, the manufacturer must achieve an 'A' rating for all 3 categories.
You can also save energy by washing at lower temperatures; washing clothes at 30 oC instead of a higher temperature can use around 40% less electricity. Modern washing powders and detergents work just as effectively at lower temperatures so, unless you have very dirty washing, bear this in mind.
Another easy energy saver is to always wash a full load. A half load setting usually uses more than half the energy of a full load setting, so by doing two half loads you'll use more energy than doing one full one
Eco Dishwashers
It can cost approximately 20% more for an older dishwasher to run a standard wash cycle, than a more modern energy efficient dishwasher. With an energy saving dishwasher you will save money on your electricity bill, and with reduced cost comes reduced CO2 emissions. In a typical year this could reduce your carbon emissions by up to 50kg.
Again, always try to wash a full load. A half load setting usually uses more than half the energy of a full load; so if you do two half loads you'll use more energy than doing one full one.
Environmentally friendly fridge/freezers
Fridges and freezers are rarely turned off, and therefore constantly use electricity to keep our food fresh. With an energy saving fridge/freezer it is possible to make significant reductions in electric and carbon consumption. A current 'A++' rated version uses just half the electricity of a typical 'A' rated version, with almost identical features.
Energy Saving fridges and fridge freezers use up to 60% less energy than a typical old one. This will give savings of up to £38 and 155 kilograms of CO2 a year for a fridge freezer and £13 and 55 kilograms for a fridge.
Energy Efficient Tumble Dryer
Tumble dryers generally use a large amount of energy, relative to other appliances such as washing machines. Therefore, you must consider whether a tumble dryer is essential. However, many people do feel a tumble dryer is a required appliance. Due to the high energy usage, an energy efficient tumble dryer will save you substantial energy and money on your electricity bill.
Desktop and laptop personal computers
DEFRA estimate that there are around 12.2 million desktop computers in the UK, and around 17.3 million laptop computers. As the UK has around 26.6 million homes, domestic computers (desktops and laptops) now out-number households.
Choosing an energy efficient desktop or laptop computer can have a real impact on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Printers
Choosing an Energy Saving inkjet printer over a non-Energy Saving one can save you almost a third of the electricity you would normally use running your printer over a year. If everyone buying a new inkjet printer in the UK were to buy an Energy Saving one, they would save around £700,000 a year on electricity bills, and nearly 3,000 tonnes of CO 2; equivalent to taking 900 cars off the UK's roads.