We’ve gone through some of the top house hold appliances that use the most energy. You might have a little surprise with just how much they can affect your home energy bills.
What house hold appliances use the most energy
Many people always assume some of the biggest energy using appliances are those such as the TV, as these are the items that are left on for hours on end without anyone battering an eyelid about how much energy it is using. While this is true, your TV is one out of a few that uses a significant amount of energy, appliances such as your heating, fridge, tumble dryer, cooker and dishwasher also use a rather large amount even if you do only use it once a day.
Heating
Heating your home is one of the biggest expenses when it comes to home energy bills. When it comes to heating your home it makes up around 47% of your energy bill costs, unfortunately, in the UK we experience really cold weather, and during some of our harsh winters, it can become difficult to heat your home. There are a few different energy saving tips you can follow to help keep your home warm.
Draught proofing your home is an excellent way of improving the amount of warm air that will stay in your home, what many people don’t realise is that by having small openings around doors and windows you could be losing a significant amount of heat around your home. By draught proofing, you could be saving as much as £25 a year. If you would like more information on where you can draught proof in your home we recommend giving the Energy Saving Trust a read.
Alternatively, you might want to think about having blankets in the living room. It’s a great way to get yourself warm but can also be good for decor. Berkshire Blanket is a great place to pick up a range of thick blankets to keep you and your family as snuggly as possible.
Fridge
The refrigerator is one of those appliances you simply cannot turn off; it becomes one of the most expensive appliances to keep running. Your refrigerator could be costing you around £41.00 annually; you may be thinking how you can reduce this well there are a few things you can do every so often to help reduce the risk of your energy bills increasing. Check the temperature of your fridge every so often; your fridge should be within 2.2 to 3.3 degrees C, and your freezer should be between -17.8 to -15 degrees C.
To make your refrigerator or freezer as energy efficient as possible, you will want to ensure there are less than 0.24 inches of frost build up. If there is any more than this, your freezer will require more energy to ensure the food within it reaches the right temperature. You will also want to check the door seals, much like providing your home is draught-proofed you want to ensure your refrigerator or freezer is not losing any of the cold air. ESpares have made it easy for you with their magnetic fridge seals, which can be applied to any fridge or freezer.
There are two obvious energy saving tips that many people don’t actually think about when it comes to their fridge. When looking in the fridge don’t keep the doors open too long, you will lose a significant amount of cold air by doing so, your fridge then requires more energy to recool. Also, think about the location, have you placed it somewhere where it may be in direct sunlight? Or is it near a warmer part of the kitchen?
Tumble dryer
For large families, a tumble dryer is a necessity, with all the clothes coming through the wash there sometimes isn’t enough space to air dry them all. But your tumble dryer could be costing you a further £40 a year. Using a clothesline also isn’t always optional in the UK due to are extreme rain, however you can use a spin cycle on your washing machine which allows the water to be spun out the clothes completely, if you then hang them on a clothes rail they will dry within an hour or two so hopefully wont cause to much fuss around your home.
We also recommend only using the tumble dryer when you have a large amount of clothing that needs drying, by only putting small loads in your dryer you could be wasting a vast amount of energy. You might also want to think about washing and drying similar materials at the same time. If you have a range of materials, you might find that they have different drying times.
Hobs and cookers
If you have an electric cooker, you are more likely to spend on average around £35 more than a gas cooker. There are a few small little tricks you can do to reduce the amount of energy you use and these include: only putting enough water in the pan to cover vegetables or pasta, use a smaller pan if possible, so it takes less time to heat it and think about putting lids on the tops of pans to keep the heat in.
Dishwasher
A lot of people assume the dishwasher is a quick and easy way of cleaning dishes, but don’t understand just how much energy it uses. Do you rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? One thing many people do is give their dishes a rinse before to ensure they are more likely to be clean when they come out. Many people do not realise just how powerful their dishwashers are.
You should also think about only using your dishwasher when it is full; many people put it on every day with last nights dishes and this morning breakfast bowls. It is a complete waste of money, so fill it up and then put it on.
Summary
The main appliances we take for granted in our homes are the ones that use the most energy. To help reduce your electricity plans for your home we recommend following a few of our tips and tricks. Washing machines and dishwashers do not need to go on every day so think about how full they are and don’t waste your money or energy putting them on for small washes. Ensure your home is fully insulated before turning your heating up as this is something in the UK that we often do.