Are your electricity bills out of control? This article might help you understand why and help you stop those rising bills.
New appliances tend to use less power than ageing ones, but there’s still quite a big difference between rival brands and models.
Saving Energy
Blowing Hot and Cold
As a rule, the appliances that use the most energy are the ones that heat and cool. The longer they do this, the more power they use. So air conditioning is usually right at the top of the list.
In the UK, most of us don’t have home A/C, so our power hogs will likely be the washing machine and dryer. The energy rating on either of these appliances is very important because we use them so often. According to OVO, using both twice a week could cost you £100 a year in energy bills.
Your fridge, oven, and dishwasher probably use less energy than you think. Once a fridge is cold, it tends to stay quite cold unless the door is open, which is why door seals are important and should be kept clean.
However, OVO makes a good point that standalone devices use more power than combined ones. So for the best savings, get a combined fridge freezer rather than two separate units. It’ll save you a plug socket too.
How to Save Energy
Energy efficient appliances with ‘A’ or ‘A+’ ratings tend to be more expensive to buy, but will save you money later on. Of course, buying a good quality, efficient appliance could also save you money in repair bills.
Where possible, switch the lights around your house to energy efficient bulbs. Old-fashioned light bulbs and fluorescent strips can be expensive to run and environmentally damaging to dispose of, but today’s LED bulbs give off good quality, warm light and can be run for a fraction of the cost.
We’ve talked about this before, too, but oven cleaning settings should be avoided. Not only are they massively power-hungry, but they can also trip a switch. To cut power and cleaning time, try using a slow cooker for some of your meals instead.
Around the home, it’s a good idea to also switch off appliances properly when you’re not using them. So avoid leaving your TV, cable box, and other gadgets on standby.
Finally, when you’re done charging your phone or tablet, unplug the plug from the wall. Every little saving helps.
Keep Appliances in Good Repair
A relatively small problem with your washing machine or fridge could cause your bills to spiral. If you’ve noticed your bills going up, it might be worth getting your white goods serviced and repaired.
And if you know there’s a fault with a power-hungry device like a dryer, getting it fixed quickly could save a lot of cash later on.
High Quality Reliable Appliance Repairs
Go Assist can help with appliance repairs, with fixed price quotes and all work fully guaranteed. If you have a big brand appliance and we can’t fix the fault, we won’t charge you at all, subject to our terms and conditions.
Save energy and keep your appliances working to their full potential. Book your repair online now or call our team on 0333 733 1234.