Did you know that most of the homes contains at least 50+ household appliances. We have appliances for keeping our food cold, appliance for reheating our food, keeping our hair straight, checking our emails, entertainment appliances like TV, music systems, washing machines and dryer for our clothes, dishwashers and the list goes on and on.
With so many appliances running in our home it is obvious that the more energy we use the higher our electricity bills are.But using your appliances in particular ways can reduce your energy use and cut your power bills. Here are some top tips for five essential household appliances:
Washing machine
Laundry is one big task when it takes over the house, and a hefty power bill is the last thing you want to add to the equation. The first step for getting on the right track is to buy the right size of washing machine depending upon your family and usage. A big machine that you struggle to fill in is not energy efficient at all. A small sized machine that you have to run almost every alternate day to keep up with your weekly laundry isn’t right either.
Once you’ve got the right machine for your needs, keep some important points in mind:
- Use cold water on wash cycles instead of hot.
- Always wash a full load. Washing one full load will use less energy than washing two smaller loads.
- If you have to wash a smaller load adjust the water level manually (it is possible that your machine might not do that automatically).
- Soak stained clothes in a bucket or in the machine itself before washing. This may help you from having to wash the clothes again.
- This might sound difficult but think about the clothes you have and plan ahead so you only have to wash once or twice a week.
- Clean the washing machine to keep it in good working order.Different water conditions across the world damages the internal parts of your appliance. You can keep the pump and hoses clean by mixing a cup of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda and running this through the machine on a hot cycle from time to time.
The Refrigerator
The fridge is undoubtedly the most used household appliance. Here are some tips to making sure it is working efficiently:
- Cool down any hot food item before placing them in the fridge or freezer.
- Keep the fridge full. Fridges operate more efficiently when full. If your fridge is hardly ever full, it is likely too large for your needs and costing you more to run. Replace it with a smaller size.
- There’s no need to continually adjust the temperature. Be sure to maintain the temperature between 2°C and 5°C in the fridge, and between -15°C and -18°C in the freezer.
- Ensure the fridge stands level on your kitchen floor so the door closes properly.
- Keep your fridge organised and put all food and drinks that you consume regularly usually in the same place so you don’t need to keep the door open for too long. Every time you open the door, cold air escapes and warm air enters, making your fridge work harder and use more energy.
The Computer/Laptop
Computers have become a standard appliance in many homes now-a-days but they can consume a lot of energy if not programmed to sleep when idle. Some energy savings tips to consider are:
- Adjust the brightness of your computer screen. Keeping the brightness to a lower level will reduce the energy consumption.
- Screen savers don’t save energy. With a screen saver running, your monitor is still using full power. The best you can do is to switch off the monitor when you walk away from your computer.
- Even better – shut down your computer when it is not in use. In some cases this can actually give the computer a chance to install any updates when it’s restarted the next day.
The Dishwasher
Dishwashers can speed the kitchen clean-up, but you have to be clever about how you use them. Did you know that most of the energy used in your dishwasher is used to heat the water? Here are some tips to using your dishwasher efficiently:
- Always run a full load, this will save a lot of energy and water.
- Unless required otherwise try using the economy cycle function of the dishwasher, it washes the dishes on a lower temperature and may use substantially less water.
- Throw excess food scraps left onto the dishes into the bin before keeping it in the dishwasher. The food might stuck and damage your dishwasher.
- Clean the dishwasher regularly by running an empty machine on a hot cycle using 25 grams of citric acid instead of detergent to keep it in a working condition.
The Kettle/Coffee machine
Electrical kettles/coffee machines too are becoming a common household items these days. These appliances are 50% more efficient than a gas-top when it comes to boiling water or milk, so keep using yours but follow these tips:
- Do not overfill the kettle: only fill it with as much water as you need.
- Turn the kettle off from the main switch when not in use if it uses standby power.
- Clean your kettle every month with vinegar solution to remove built up limescale.
