1. It lowers electricity usage
Your trusty old washing machine that has sat in the same spot for the last 10 years will be consuming a lot more energy than its younger brother and sisters. According to ‘Which’ magazine the most energy efficient appliances are over £100 cheaper a year to run. With the recent energy price hikes, the annual cost of running energy efficient appliances has gone up by £41. In comparison, the price hike for less efficient appliances has risen to a whopping £138.
Top tip for saving electricity when using your fridge? Keep your fridge full, but do not overcrowd it. That is because keeping air cold uses more energy than refrigerating the food. Ensure it is operating at the optimum temperature and do not leave the door open for longer than necessary.
Considering changing from a gas or conventional ceramic hob? Please consider induction. They are a much more energy efficient option. They work by creating a magnetic field between the hob and pan. Only the area underneath your saucepan heats up therefore no wasted heat.
Consider also investing in a Quooker tap. Instead of wasting energy bringing cold water to the boil in a pan, use a boiling water tap – we are official retailers for ‘Quooker UK’. These are great for making tea and coffee as they expend much less energy than a traditional kettle.
Finally. Make more use of your microwave – a combination microwave is a great investment for a small household or family as an additional oven cavity but also because of its speed and minimal energy usage. Did you know cooking a Jacket potato costs around £1.04 in a fan oven, and 4p in a microwave. Use the convection bake feature and it will cost a little more than 4p, but you still benefit from the crispy baked skin. Yum.
2. New labelling scheme from March 2021
Now for the boring bit! But please read! When you are buying a new appliance for your home, look out for its energy label. The labels are based on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient and G the least.
Before March 2021 90% of fridges and freezers sold were rated A+ or higher and 80% of washing machines already performed to A++ or A+++ standard. Most cooling and wet appliances were in the top bands, with many pluses, while the remaining ratings from B to G were practically empty. This meant it was difficult for our customers (and us) to distinguish between an A and an A+++ rated machine. So, they have removed the ‘pluses’ and rescaled the bands to fill the lower bands meaning that initially A- or B-rated products are quite rare. Therefore, starting from such a high base, E- and F-rated fridge-freezers denotes a high-performance model. Still following? Phew!
From March 1, 2021, the most popular models of fridge-freezers showed that they were E and F rated. Formerly known as A++ and A+, they are still highly efficient, using 40% less energy than the average appliance in homes a decade ago and estimated to cost just £81 or less a year to run. Switching to an F-rated appliance could save you hundreds of pounds in the future. It will also cut your energy usage by over half – from an average usage of 334 kWh per year to just 150. This means it would take just over five and a half years before the cost of a new fridge would be made up in full.
As official retailers for Bosch, Neff and Siemens, the only available appliances are with an F or above rating, which the firm said it implemented after realising that energy efficiency had become more important to its customers. This is something a number of other electrical firms have also decided to take on board, although it is not legally compulsory.
It is important to be aware that products are also categorised by their size, so two different sized appliances with the same energy rating might use different amounts of electricity. As a rule, the bigger the appliance, the more electricity it will use. That means you could save money by avoiding buying a product that is bigger than you need. So, in a home where there are only 2-3 of you, do consider if you really need that huge American Fridge Freezer or a full twelve place setting Dishwasher.
It is an important aside for me to note that the latest advances in Fridge Freezer designs also keep food fresher longer, thereby saving money and making the appliances easier to maintain.
3. Save on water
Similarly, to electricity usage, most modern appliances now work on principles that allow them to use much less water and detergent at lower temperatures. Some of the appliances we supply have gone that step further. One of the latest developments being Siemens ‘SensoFresh’. This revolutionary active oxygen system neutralises smells in just 30 to 45 minutes, without the need for water or detergents. Whether it is odours or germs, even sensitive and non-washable fabrics can be treated both effectively and gently (reducing the need for expensive trips to dry cleaners) money saving and planet saving!
Bosch Homes very clever ‘Easy Start’ lets you tell the Home Connect app what you are washing and will recommend the ideal wash programme for your clothes and highlight if certain garments should be removed and washed separately, meaning you can protect your clothes and live more sustainably, all while saving on brain power. I mean all you must do is press start!
Simple and slight changes to your routine such as choosing the amount of place settings you are washing when programming or simply using the dishwashers half load function will help with energy and water consumption. Wondering whether you should have a dishwasher in your next kitchen? One of the most shocking finds when I was researching this blog post is that using the dishwasher rather than handwashing saves an amazing 8,500 litres of water a year (based on 260 cycles per annum). Using just 9.5 litres of water to clean your dirty dishes rather than an average of forty litres by hand!
4. Use Home connect and SMA’s to save money, energy, and food wastage.
With Home Connect, you can control your Bosch, Neff and Siemens Wi-Fi enabled home appliances conveniently via an app. This means you can switch an appliance into energy-saving mode from anywhere in the world.
Use smart assistants like the Siemens ‘SmartStorage’ guide to keep your food in the fridge fresh for longer and to get inspiring recipes based on existing ingredients, so that no food is wasted.
If you are the proud owner of a photovoltaic system, you can use the Flex Start function of Home Connect and its partner SMA. The washing machine, dryer, or dishwasher can be started automatically as soon as your photovoltaic power (energy from your solar panels) is available – how cool is that?!
5. Saving money by buying built to last.
As retailers of Bosch, Neff, and Siemens we recommend products with the secure knowledge that those products are developed along with long-term trends and sustainable innovations. Hundreds of quality tests ensure the highest standards in production. At the end of the day, you need to know you will get your money’s worth. Bosch, Neff, and Siemens provide a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard on all home appliances and a 5-year warranty on selected freestanding appliances. Because they are confident that your appliance will stand the test of time, they provide a Lifetime ‘AquaStop’ Warranty on washing machines and dishwashers, a 10 Year Warranty on Siemens ‘iQdrive’ washing machine motors and 10 Year Anti-Rust Warranty on dishwashers.
Most modern appliances are energy efficient and ‘smart’ meaning they use less energy. They will run at less of a cost to you and the planet, so despite the initial investment, overall, your pocket may thank you. I hope this has helped explain some of the benefits to choosing new, more efficient appliances for your home. All I can say from us all here at Paul Rowles Kitchens, If the environment and keeping living costs down is a priority for you then compared to other home improvement schemes, choosing a highly efficient appliance is an effortless way to do that.
Book in a showroom appointment to view and test drive the latest in-home appliance technology.