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Environment and greener living

Household appliances that save energy, water and money

Using your appliances more efficiently can help reduce climate change effects, save water and save you money. When it comes to buying new appliances, choose the most efficient models to make a big difference.

Spare the dryer

Taking steps to dry your clothes more efficiently will help save energy and money:

  • when possible dry your clothes outside or on a clothes rack
  • if you use the dryer, fill it each time, rather than putting on a number of small loads

Use washing machines and dishwashers more efficiently

  • washing clothes at 30 degrees saves energy - today's detergents wash just as well at low temperatures
  • run washing machines and dishwashers less often, but with full loads - a half load setting uses more than half the energy and water of a full load
  • switching off and unplugging appliances at the wall when not in use will save the energy used by lights and displays
  • cleaning filters regularly keeps appliances running efficiently

Fridges and freezers

Use fridges and freezers more efficiently by defrosting appliances regularly.

Buy energy efficient appliances

  • think about the running costs as well as the purchase price - a small monthly saving from a more efficient appliance could add up to a substantial saving over the lifetime of your appliance 
  • look for the smallest product for your needs to cut energy consumption and protect the environment - two different sized fridges can have the same efficiency rating (for example, a European Union (EU) energy label ‘A'), but the smaller one will use less energy and cost less to run
  • generally, gas is a greener choice than electricity for cooking as it has lower climate change effects - the exceptions to this rule are: microwaves, as they are more energy efficient than gas or electric ovens; and electric induction hobs, which match the energy efficiency of gas hobs
  • some kettles have unnecessary features that use up extra electricity, like lights or ‘keep warm’ functions - so try to avoid these

Look for the label

When buying a new appliance, there are two key energy labels to look out for:

  • the Energy Saving Recommended logo can only be used on the most energy efficient products, usually the top 20 per cent of those available  
  • the EU energy label is now obligatory for all white goods and ovens in the UK; it grades products from A (best) to G (worst) for energy use (the scale now goes up to A++ for fridges and freezers)

You could also look at how water-efficient a new appliance is - as a rule, the more energy efficient a machine is, the less water it will use. EU energy labels show litres of water used per wash.

  • when choosing a washing machine, look for a machine that uses less than 50 litres per wash
  • for dishwashers, look for one that uses less than 15 litres per wash

Get rid of old appliances safely

It's important to recycle your old appliances. Dumping old machines can lead to harmful chemicals escaping and causing pollution. What you can do with them:

  • ask the store whether they offer a take back scheme in store, or will collect from your home, or offer you alternative options
  • local authorities will take away unwanted white goods but they may make a charge for the service

Improvements in fridges mean that newer models do not contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that damage the ozone layer, but they still need to be carefully disposed of.

Energy efficient cooking

You can also use the appliances you have in an efficient way when you are cooking. Things to consider:

  • putting a lid on a pan will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to boil
  • microwaves can be a greener choice because they cook food much faster and so use less energy than conventional ovens (either gas or electric)
  • electric kettles use nearly a third of all the electricity an average household uses for cooking, so only boiling as much water as you need can help save a lot of energy

The wider issue

It pays to think about the appliances you are buying and the ways they are being used. For example fridges and freezers work harder than any other kitchen appliance - they're on 24 hours a day. Buying an energy efficient fridge freezer means you use nearly a third of the energy to do the same job as a 10-year-old model. So choosing the right appliance can help you both save money and lessen your impact on the environment.

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