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Your guide to appliances in the home
Your guide to appliances in the home
Hot spotsThese symbols show where you can find the energy saving measures in this booklet:
From most DIY stores
From most superstores
It’s all too easy to take electricity for granted. We plug things in, switch them on, and often forget the cost to our pockets and the environment. The more appliances and gadgets we buy, the more money and energy we burn. All energy savings facts and figures are provided by the Energy Saving Trust, are current at the date of going to print, May 2010 and are based on a typical 3 bedroom semi detached house and paying a gas price of 3.67p/kWh and an electricity price of 12.50p/kWh.
In the UK alone, just leaving our TVs on standby before going to bed creates around 125,000 tonnes of CO2 and costs us nearly £31 million a year. Whilst most of our appliances are essential, there’s a lot we can do to save money and help protect the environment.
This guide comes packed with tips and advice on getting the best from your appliances without them costing the earth. So, from TVs and DVD players to fridges, washing machines and dishwashers, plug in and switch on to some great ways to save money and energy.
Why it pays to save energy
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The average household could save £250 by being more energy efficient around the home.(Source: Energy Saving Trust)
Appliances
Putting your appliances to work doesn’t have to hit your finances hard. Here are some top tips on ways to use your appliances that save money and energy…
Fridges and freezers• Position your fridge away from cookers,
heaters & radiators so your fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your food cold.
• Never put warm or hot food straight into the fridge or freezer. This leads to a build-up of frost.
• Keep the door seals in good condition. Test them by closing the door on a piece of paper. The door should grip it tightly, so the paper doesn’t slide easily. New door seals aren’t expensive if you need to replace them.
• Use a fridge freezer thermometer to check the temperature. Your fridge should be no more than 5˚C and your freezer shouldn’t be set below -18˚C.
Dishwashers• Make sure your dishwasher is full before
switching it on.
• Only use high temperature wash programmes for really dirty dishes. If your dishwasher has one, use the quick wash or eco cycle to save on water and energy.
• When buying a new dishwasher, choose one that’s a suitable size for your needs and A-rated for energy use.
• If you’re on the Economy 7 tariff and your electricity is cheaper at night, save money by switching the dishwasher on in the evening.
Mobile phones • To avoid unnecessary expense and energy
waste, always unplug the charger from your mobile phone when it’s fully charged and unplug the charger from the wall socket.
• Washing clothes at 30˚C rather than higher temperatures will save around £10 a year on energy bills.
Stick with the stickers…When buying any new appliance, look out for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo. It’s the quickest way to spot
the most energy efficient products around. It’s also your guarantee that the appliance has met strict criteria on energy efficiency. See what you could save when you buy any appliances with the logo:
Looking to buy a new fridge, freezer, washing machines, dishwasher or electric oven, check out its European Union (EU) Energy Label. The label rates appliances from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and up to A++ for cold appliances”
Looking to buy a new fridge, freezer, washing machines, dishwasher or electric oven, check out its European Union (EU) Energy Label. The label rates appliances from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and up to A
How will you spend your savings?
Switching your appliances off and avoiding standby could save you around £40 a year on your energy bill… around the cost of a family of four going to the cinema with change for popcorn and sweets.
Energy Saving Recommended appliance
You could save…
Fridge freezer*
Upright/chest freezer*
Refrigerator*
Dishwasher*
Integrated Digital TV
£38 a year£23 a year£13 a year£11 a year£4 a year
TVs, DVD players and computers • Don’t leave them on standby.
Here’s what the UK could save in carbon dioxide emissions every year if everyone switched them off;
Switching off your… Could save the UK…
TVDVD playerComputer at the socket, rather than just shutting it down
125,000 tonnes of CO2 and £31 million a year70,000 tonnes of CO2 and £16.5 million a year160,000 tonnes of CO2 and £40 million a year
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Washing machines and Tumble dryers • Try and wait until you have a full load
before using your machine.
• If you need to wash or dry things quickly, use the ‘economy’, ‘half load’ or ‘quick’ settings on your machine.
• Use the lowest wash temperature you can.
• Spin dry your clothes before tumble drying or, use the highest spin setting you can before tumble drying your clothes.
• If you’re on an Economy 7 tariff, use the machine at night as some machines have timers, so you can set it to start whenever you wish.
Why not put yourself at the cutting-edge of saving money and energy? Here are some of the latest gizmos, gadgets and appliances that can help cut your energy bills down to size. Some of the items are quite new to the marketplace, so you may want to find them online.
Did you know?If everyone boiled the water they needed to make a cup of tea instead of filling the kettle, we could save enough electricity to run all the UK’s street lighting for 2 months. (Source: Energy Saving Trust)
Solar Chargers
What are they? Devices that charge mobile gadgets such as phones, mp3 players and hand held games. Solar battery chargers accept most popular battery sizes, such as AAA, AA, C and D.
How do they work?Solar chargers convert the sun’s power into energy for charging your mobile device or batteries.
CostFrom £10 to £40
Eco-friendly kettles
What are they? Kettles that save you money and energy by only boiling the amount of water you need.
How do they work?Standard design: an internal area holds a full quantity of water. Pressing a button releases the required amount of water into a separate chamber for boiling.+
Plunger design: plunge once for each cup, so you only boil the water you need.++
Dispenser design: gives you hot water at the touch of a button, only heating the water you need.+++
CostStandard design: £35 approx.Plunger design: £60 approx.Dispenser design: £60 approx.
Energy-saving TVs
What are they? The latest Integrated Digital Televisions (IDTVs).
How do they work?They receive digital TV without needing a set top box. This means they do the same as a TV, plus a set top box, but only need one power supply instead of two.
CostAnything from £200 to £2000
Energy-saving set-top boxes
What are they? Set-top boxes with the Energy Saving Recommended logo.
How do they work?An Energy Saving Recommended set-top box is measured on standby and on-mode power consumption to ensure they’re among the most efficient around.≠
(Source: EST November 2010 )
Cost£20 to £30 approx.
Intelligent mains panels
What are they? Socket plug extensions for using with TVs, DVD players, home entertainment systems, and computer equipment.
How do they work?Depending on what you buy, you can switch off the appliances with a remote control. Alternatively, the device senses when the main appliance is on or off. It then switches any other equipment attached to it, such as printers or a DVD player, on or off. Switching the equipment off rather than keeping it on standby saves you money and energy.
Cost£20 to £40 approx
Green electricity at no extra costSwitch to npower juice. Juice supports the generation of clean, greener electricity in a very simple way. We estimate your electricity consumption throughout the year and feed the same amount of renewable electricity from renewable sources into the electricity network. At the end of the year, we’ll check your annual consumption data and ensure the correct amount of renewable electricity has been purchased to cover your usage - its as simple as that.
To find out more, call 0800 975 4798† or visit npower.com/green
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Appliances
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On your marks, get set, save!
The next steps...We hope this guide has given you some useful tips on saving money and energy when using appliances around the home. If you would like to find out more about cutting your costs and energy use, our Energy Efficiency Helpline is here to help. If appropriate, the team can also arrange for an Energy Services Representative to visit your home and offer advice.
Call the Energy Efficiency Helpline on
0800 02 22 20†
Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm and Sat 8am - 6pm.
You can also email the team on [email protected] or visit npower.com/savingenergy
The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation providing free, impartial advice to help you stop wasting energy and money and help fight climate change.
To find out what you can do to stop wasting energy visit our website at energysavingtrust.org.uk or give your local Energy Saving Trust advisor a call on 0800 512 012.
Our advisors will:
• Giveyoupersonalisedadviceonwhat’spractical for your home
• Explainanytechnicalorplanningissues• Tellyouaboutgrantsandoffersavailable
in your areaIt’s easy to stop wasting energy.visit energysavingtrust.org.uk or call 0800 512 012
Terms and conditions: * Savings assume replacing an appliance bought new in 1998 with new Energy Saving Recommended model and an electricity price of 12.50p/kWh.+ www.ecokettle.com ++ www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Plunger_filter_kettle.html+++ www.nigelsecostore.com/acatalog/Tefal_One_Cup_maker.html≠ www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Energy-saving-products/Home-entertainment-and-electronics/Set-top-boxesFacts and figures are sourced from the Energy Saving Trust and are correct as of May 2010† Calls may be monitored and recorded for training and security purposes. Price of call may vary depending on your operator, please check for exact charges.© Aardman Animations Ltd. 2010npower Solar Thermal, Climate Cops, npower and hometeam are registered trademarks and npower is the trading name of Npower Northern Limited (registered in England and Wales No. 3432100) and associated companies. Registered office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB.
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