Making smarter choices and knowing how much things cost us to run in pounds and pence will cut out bills
As yet another energy price cap comes in, it’s a good time to think about how our choices can help us keep a handle on bills.
At Quids in! we’ve spoken about being savvy about our energy use before, but frankly we can never have too may tips for saving.
It’s hard to know which appliances are costing the most to run, but once we understand this a bit more, we can make smarter choices around the home.
Keep your cool
In most homes, the biggest guzzler of energy is the fridge. While we can’t exactly switch it off and on all the time, we can avoid leaving the door open or letting the condenser coil at the back of the fridge get dirty. Both these things mean it has to work harder to get back to temperature – a dusty coil can increase energy use by 25%!
And we can also keep our fridge defrosted – even a small layer of ice makes it less efficient.
Overfilling the fridge will also make it use more energy – the air can’t circulate and so the fridge struggles to stay cool. And not all fridges are created equal – an appliance with an A*** rating can save £190 over its lifespan.
If our fridge is on the old side and we’re lucky enough to be offered a newer one or spot one second-hand we should snap it up!
Smarter Washing
Household tend to use their tumble dryer around 150 times a year – at a cost of around £1.50 a go. Even if we have a garden, we’re not likely to get much outdoor drying during the colder months.
So filling the dryer is more efficient than using it with just a few socks in it, and putting clothes through a spin cycle in the washing machine first will cut the length of time we need to use the dryer. Or we can just dry on an airer more often.
According to a report by the Society of Chemical Industry, we’re all washing our clothes too much, harming the planet and our wallets. Not only that, the report says it’s perfectly fine to wear clothes for three or four days before washing them (apart from underwear of course!)
Sniffing, sponging and steaming before we put a load in the machine are all ways to cut the cost of laundry, and they’ll make our clothes last longer too.
Savings on a Platter
There are pros and cons if we have a dishwasher. Pro – we will end up using less water (great when we’re on a water meter). Con – they use a lot of electricity.
The trick is to use it carefully and only switch it on when it’s full. We should look at the programmes and choose one that’s under 50 degrees if possible. This should be enough for most cups, glasses and plates, although it may not be hot enough to wash off baked-on grease.
If we’re shopping for a new dishwasher, getting one with a good energy rating will save us over the long term even though it may cost more initially. And a full-size machine is more efficient than a slimline or compact one.
Cooking Costs
We should choose a pan and a ring that are best suited for what we’re heating – too big or small and we’ll be wasting energy.
Microwaves, slow cookers and air fryers are much cheaper to run than traditional
cookers, which can cost £316 a year to run, compared to just £30 a year for a microwave. A slow cooker costs £60 a year and an air fryer just £53 (based on using each one for about 40 minutes per day).
Image: Hananeko_Studio / Shutterstock
