Be energy efficient: Appliances (part two)

As part of looking at ways in which to make your home more efficient, MOLLY MAID, the house cleaning experts, suggest some top tips on how to make big savings with even the smallest of changes in how you use your appliances in the home.

Televisions/ DVD players: Ensure that you switch them off fully and at the wall when you go to bed, rather than leaving them on standby.

Mobiles & Tablets: Monitor when they are fully charged and switch off the plug. It is an unnecessary waste of energy, particularly charging them all night long! 

Energy efficient lightbulbs: Replace all lightbulbs with energy efficient ones, which are readily available in DIY shops. 

Washing Machines: Ensure that you fill up the washing machine with a full load and wash as many of your clothes at 30 degrees in a short cycle as this will also help with water consumption.

Dryer: Avoid using a drying machine if you can by investing in a drying rack and dry clothes in front of a radiator or a source of heat and make the most of the warmth from the sunlight that may stream through the windows in winter months. If you do need to use a dryer, try using tumble dryer balls to reduce drying time.

Dishwashers: Always fill a dishwasher before switching it on and then use an ‘economic’ setting which generally means a shorter wash with fewer rinses and reduced drying time.

Kettle: Don’t boil a full kettle every time, only boil the amount you need. You will be amazed at how much electricity a kettle uses. 

Oven: Try not to open the oven door while cooking if possible. Heat lost by opening the door causes the oven to use more energy. You can also try to be less reliant on your oven and cook a greater proportion of your meals using the microwave as they tend to be more energy efficient. 

Hob: Avoid using oversized pots and get into a habit of using a lid. Stacked steamers are a great of harnessing the power of one hob to cook more than one item. 

Fridges & Freezers: These need to be defrosted regularly to operate more efficiently – although some do this automatically. Try to fill your fridge or freezer if you can, as food acts as insulation, which lessens the amount of time it has to run to stay cool. 

Baths: Avoid running a bath every day. If you need to bath young children, then reduce the amount of water you use and suggest that they share the water. 

Showers: Reduce the amount of time you spend in the shower if you can. This will then reduce the amount of heat that is needed to heat up the water, as well as, to reduce water consumption.

If you are really serious on being more energy efficient with your appliances and around the home, consider buying an in-home energy consumption monitor and you will see how much energy you are consuming when all your appliances are in use.

Good luck and enjoy those savings just in time for Christmas!

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