Reducing your energy when using appliances

Choosing an energy efficient appliance

To work out how energy efficient an appliance is when buying something, you can look for its energy label.

The energy label gives information about the energy efficiency of a product and gives you an idea of how expensive it will be to run. This helps you to compare similar appliances.

Another way to choose an energy efficient appliance is to only buy the size of the appliance you need. This is because larger items will use more energy and end up costing you more. For example, if you buy a family-sized dishwasher but often do not fill it up, you may be wasting energy and therefore money on your electricity and water bills.

How to read an energy label

When you’re looking to buy a new appliance, it is important to check the attached energy label as it shows you how efficient a product is.

They are tested during typical use and have ratings from A to G. A shows the most efficient appliances and G shows the least efficient. Some appliances use the older scale which ranges from A+++ to G.

Energy ratings are normally categorised by the product’s size so two appliances with the same energy rating might use different amounts of electricity if they’re different sizes.

Check the energy label of the appliance and compare the best energy rating across products that are of the size you need.

How to reduce your energy consumption

How you use your appliances at home and when you use them affects how much energy they use.

Running a washing machine or a dishwasher often takes up a large portion of your energy bill.

The most effective ways to reduce your energy across all your appliances is to:

• use appliances with the highest energy consumption less frequently
• turn appliances off, rather than leave them on standby
• only buy the size of appliances you need – the larger the appliance, the more energy it will normally need.

Top tips for common appliances

Find our list of common appliances and top tips for reducing their energy consumption.

Ovens

Using a fan-assisted oven helps to cook food at lower temperatures by circulating the air around the food to save energy. Using an electric hob is also more efficient than using a gas ring. Well insulated ovens with triple-glazed doors help to keep the heat in and cook food more quickly.

Microwaves

Microwaves are more energy efficient than ovens because they only heat your food, rather than the whole space. You should look at the power ratings of microwaves to see how much energy they use because they do not have energy labels.

Dishwashers

Dishwashers account for almost 8% of our electricity bills. Choosing a dishwasher with an A rating can cost up to £20 less to run each year in Great Britain or £35 less in Northern Ireland compared to the lowest rated dishwasher of the same size. They also use less water.

Fridges, freezers, and fridge-freezers

Choosing a higher rated fridge, freezer or fridge-freezer can have a significant impact on your running costs. For example, choosing an A rated dishwasher over an E rated dishwasher can save up to £330 in Great Britain and £770 in Northern Ireland over the 17-year lifespan of the product.

Kettles

When boiling the kettle, you should only boil the amount of water you need. If you use an eco-kettle you can use 20% less energy compared to a normal electric kettle.

Tumble dryers

Drying clothes outside on a washing line is the best way to decrease your energy consumption.

If you do need a tumble dryer, choosing an energy label of A+++ over a B-rated tumble dryer could save you up to £650 in Great Britain and up to £1,000 in Northern Ireland over its 13-year lifetime.

Washing machines

To maximise your savings when using your washing machine, only use it when you have enough laundry for a full load and wash at lower temperatures.

Choosing an A-rated washing machine over a D-rated one could save you up to £85 in Great Britain and £140 in Northern Ireland over its 11-year lifetime.

Desktop, laptops and tablets

Choosing a laptop over a desktop computer and avoiding using standby will save you money each year. Using a tablet reduces your consumption further as they use 70% less power than laptops on average.

Smart speakers

To reduce the cost of running a smart speaker, you could consider taking it off standby when not using it.

Televisions

The larger the television screen, the more energy it will consume, regardless of its energy rating. The power consumption of a television screen is mostly dependent on the level of brightness and how many hours it is used.

You could reduce your usage by reducing the brightness of the screen and switching it off fully when not in use.

Recycling or disposing of old appliances

Electrical items need to be deposed carefully because of the materials they use.

Check your appliances for the image of the wheelie bin with a cross through it. If it has these then it should not be part of your general household rubbish. This normally includes large white goods and energy saving lightbulbs.

By keeping old electrical equipment separate from other waste, the hazardous substances can be removed and other parts can be recycled rather than sent to landfill.

If you’re buying new electrical appliances, the law makes sure retailers either:

• take your old appliances for free in store
• tells you where you can take your old item for recycling free of charge.

Many retailers also offer collection of old appliances from your home.

Another option is to take your old equipment to your nearest recycling facility or to arrange collection of bulky items from your local authority. Some may charge for this service.

Energy Saving Trust

You can find out more on Energy Saving Trust’s choosing energy efficient appliances page.