How to buy energy saving products
- Tips to help you buy energy saving products
- Energy saving products independently tested by Which?
- Energy monitors and energy saving gadgets
- How to choose the most energy efficient boiler, fridge freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer and more...
Energy saving products
The modern home is packed with products designed to make day-to-day tasks that bit easier. But using washing machines, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, fridges, freezers and other appliances on a daily basis means higher overall energy consumption, a mounting electricity bill - and an ever-expanding carbon footprint. Energy saving products can minimise that impact.
Which? tests and measures the running costs and average energy and water consumption of a range of home appliances to help you find the top energy savers - our energy saving appliances review shows the appliances successfully achieving low energy consumption without compromising on performance.
If you want to find out exactly how much an individual model of home appliance or television costs to run a year, check out our energy cost calculator tools. Not only can these tools guide you to best cheap-to-run appliances currently available but they also tell you just how much electricity individual televisions, tumble dryers, fridge freezers and dishwashers guzzle.
Energy labelling
Energy labels can give you a good indication of how energy efficient a product is
The most visual indication of a product's energy efficiency - including home appliances like washing machines, fridge freezers and tumble dryers - is its EU energy efficiency rating. This rating is usually shown on the product using a label like the one pictured. You can find out more about understanding energy labels in our online guide.
But while energy labels can give you a general indication of how energy efficient an appliance is, we've found energy labels aren't always accurate.
Which? tests energy consumption in a way that reflects how you use different appliances. This means we're accurately able to recommend the products that use less energy to run.
Energy saving products for your home
Below we've outlined some key energy saving products to look out for - along with quick links to our product lab test reviews to help you find the best products on the market.
Energy saving light bulbs
You'll soon need to switch over to energy-saving light bulbs as, under new EU rules, less efficient traditional light bulbs are being phased out between now and 2012.
According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), even though energy saving light bulbs are slightly more expensive than traditional varieties, you'll usually make back the difference in electricity savings in a year. The EST estimates that one energy saving light bulb, which can last up to 10 times longer than a standard bulb, can save you up to £6 a year in the case of regularly used lights - but the changeover continues to be controversial nonetheless. We've tackled some of your energy saving light bulb concerns in our expert guide.
A high efficiency condensing boiler can help you to cut your energy bills
High efficiency boilers
If you have gas central heating, your boiler will account for around 60% of your home's CO2 emissions, according to the EST. This makes boiler efficiency a key priority if you're looking to cut your carbon footprint and your energy bills. Sedbuk ratings - similar to the energy rating labels you find on fridge freezers and washing machines - are split into bands between A and G, with A-rated boilers being the most energy efficient.
A high efficiency condensing boiler is a good choice if you're looking for a more efficient boiler. Condensing boilers make better use of the heat they generate from burning fuels such as gas or oil as they capture waste heat released from the flue and use it to heat water returning from your central heating system.
If you have an old G-rated boiler and are looking to replace it with a new boiler model, you may be eligible for a £400 voucher under the government's boiler scrappage scheme.
Energy saving washing and drying
New developments including heat pump technology in tumble dryers, cold wash laundry detergents for washing machines and 'energy save' dishwasher programs are helping to bring energy saving products and features into the mainstream.
After central heating, refrigeration products are the biggest domestic users of energy
Look out for eco program settings on washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers designed to use less energy and water during a load. If your energy tariff gives you cheaper energy at certain times of the day (such as an Economy 7 tariff), models with time delay functionality allowing you to pre-programme when you use your appliance can also cut your energy bills.
You can also save energy by changing the way you use kitchen appliances. We've got energy saving tumble drying tips and video guides to being greener with your washing machine and more efficient with your dishwasher to help.
Energy efficient fridge freezers
Refrigeration notches up a staggering £2 billion in electricity bills each year in the UK – that's as much electricity as four 700MW power stations produce in a year – so it comes as little surprise that using an energy saving fridge freezer can make a real difference to your energy bills, especially when running costs between models can range between £18 and up to £100 per year.
Energy monitors and smart meters
Energy monitors aren't directly energy saving products in themselves - but having a visual reminder of how much energy you're using can help you become more mindful of reducing your energy consumption. Energy monitors start at around £25 so they're a fairly low cost way to keep an eye on your energy us.
Energy saving products like energy monitors are visual reminders of energy use
The next generation of energy monitors will take gas and electricity use data straight from smart meters, which should make them very accurate and versatile. These energy monitors are set to be rolled out by the government from 2012.
