Looking to save money on your energy bills? Then a good place to start is your appliances. In this guide from the Comet team we will share our top tips for using your appliances in a way that’ll make your wallet and your home happy…
Your home and appliances
Whether you realise it or not, your home is probably packed full of appliances of various kinds; each of which will require electricity to operate.
Think about it - from large appliances such as fridges, cookers and washing machines, through to small appliances like air fryers and toasters - you possibly have an appliance in almost every room of your home.
Amongst the most energy-hungry appliances are washing machines, tumble dryers, kettles, irons, and vacuum cleaners.
That’s another way of saying ‘don’t overlook your appliances!’. They could be costing you more than you realise…
Our top appliance energy saving tips
Luckily, there are lots of ways you can save money in relation to your home appliances. As a leading retailer of appliances you’d expect the Comet team to be bursting with energy-saving tips. And, you’d be right! Below, we’ve shared our ‘must action’ tips.
Beware of the energy vampires
No, we’re not talking about Dracula here… We’re referring to the habit that certain appliances have of continually drawing power even when they’re turned off.
This is a phenomenon known as ‘standby electricity loss’ or ‘idle electricity loss’.
When you consider that the average UK home has approximately 15 to 20 appliances (at least), and these are often left plugged in, you can see how this problem can build up into bigger than wanted electricity bills!
There is a caveat to this though - things that are simple on/off devices like lamps will not use electricity when left plugged in. It is only devices that have transformers - such as laptops or consoles - or devices that have standby modes (such as TVs) that continue to draw power even when turned off.
How can you tell if a device has a standby mode? It’s generally indicated by a small red LED. If the LED is on, then the device is still drawing a small amount of electricity. If you want to take something like a television out of standby mode, you’ll need to manually turn the plug socket off.
Is it really worth going to all that effort every time you turn something off? Well, according to the Energy Saving Trust, you can save approximately £45 a year by turning your appliances off standby mode. That’s way more than we expected!
Don’t overfill your kettle
Everyone loves a cuppa - especially when it’s cold outside. But, that innocuous seeming cup of tea or coffee could be costing you more than you realise…
How? You could be overfilling your kettle when making a brew.
It may seem like a minor thing, but overfilling your kettle can waste your approximately £10 per year. This may not sound like much, but all these little changes can add up to big savings.
Tip - if you want to make your cuppas even more energy efficient, consider investing in a new rapid boil kettle. As they boil the water much faster, they use less net energy overall throughout the year.
Use your dishwasher wisely
Dishwashers are amazing time-saving, convenient appliances. But, used in the wrong way, they can add needless pounds to your energy bill.
So, what’s the best, most energy-efficient way to use your dishwasher?
The key is to only run your dishwasher once it’s completely full. Even if it takes a few days to completely fill it, it’s worthwhile. Why? Because reducing your dishwasher use by even one run per week could save you approximately £12 over the course of a year.
Use your washing machine wisely
It’s not just your dishwasher that could be needlessly draining your bank account, but your washing machine as well (*glares at washing machine suspiciously*).
By making small changes to the way you use your washing machine, you could save yourself around £25 per year.
“What are these magical changes?” we can hear you ask. Well, there are two changes that’ll make the biggest difference:
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Using your washing machine on 30-degree cycles (or lower). By choosing a lower wash temperature, your washing machine won’t have to work as hard.
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Eliminating one washing machine cycle per week.
Minimise tumble dryer use
Who doesn’t love tumble dryers?! They get your clothes dry and warm and remove the hassle of having to hang your washing outside.
However, they are amongst the most energy intensive home appliances.
Save money on electricity by choosing to use your tumble dryer less often. Why not consider drying your clothes on a maiden instead?
If you still want your clothes dry quickly, a perfect alternative is a heated clothes airer. These use a small amount of electricity to actively dry your clothes as they hang.
Doing these things could potentially save you in the region of £50 per year.
Tip - if you love your tumble dryer, but are concerned about energy bills, consider investing in a heat pump tumble dryer. These are the most energy efficient type of tumble dryer.
Cook your food with small appliances
Here’s a not so fun fact. Did you know that the oven is typically the most energy-intensive appliance in the home?
Well, you do now.
In fact, with many homes using their ovens for around two hours each day (on average), this can cost you in the region of £50 per month!
If you’d rather have that £50 in your pocket, then why not explore cooking your meals in more energy-efficient small appliances?
Take air fryers, for example. Using a standard 200W air fryer for 20 minutes can cost you as little as eight pence. As you’ll see in our air fryer buying guide, air fryers are incredibly versatile little appliances that can cook more foods than many people realise.
Want to save money and still enjoy delicious meals? Then buy an air fryer (from Comet, of course 😉).
Use your iron at the correct setting
Irons may not be the most energy-hungry appliances out there, but even so, you can easily waste money if you’re ironing at the incorrect temperature.
According to charity National Energy Action, your typical iron can cost anywhere between 27p to 82p to run per hour (depending on the wattage of the iron).
As you can imagine, over the course of an afternoon of ironing, this adds up!
So, consider ironing at a lower temperature, or for shorter periods of time.
Upgrade your appliances
If you’ve had your appliances for a number of years, it’s possible that they’re not as efficient as they could be.
As you can imagine, appliance manufacturers are continually researching and developing ways to make their products more energy efficient.
Just take rapid boil kettles, for example. These came about as a way of not only boiling water faster, but more efficiently, too.
Another example is vacuum cleaners. Newer models - such as those developed by Shark - are incredibly energy efficient, with many models possessing an A+ energy efficiency rating.
Comet: your partner in energy efficiency
When it comes to buying energy efficient appliances at great prices, Comet has you covered.
Not only are we home to amazing brands at unbeatable prices, we offer flexible ways to pay, too. Choose Snap Finance and you can spread the cost of your new appliance over 48 months.
Alternatively, we also offer PayPal Credit and Klarna Pay in 3 that allow you to buy your new appliance with three, interest-free payments.
And, if you need your new appliance in a hurry, we have an express delivery service.
Shop home appliances at Comet now
For more buying guides, advice and information, explore the Comet Advice Centre…
