How to use less electricity Kitchen money-saving tips

A well-stocked kitchen is home to some of the most draining electrical appliances, with your fridge and freezer eating up energy 24 hours a day. Use our tips for using less electricity and saving money in the kitchen.

Save money with energy-efficient fridges

fridge-freezer

Energy-efficient appliances - used wisely - will save you a lot of money

Don't leave the door of your fridge or freezer open longer than necessary. Avoid putting warm food in your freezer as it makes it work harder; allow food to cool down first. 

Keep the inside of the fridge at 5°C. Any lower will increase energy consumption unnecessarily and run the risk of damaging delicate items like salads.

For optimum energy efficiency, aim to keep your fridge and freezer at least three quarters full. You could always fill them with bottles of water to take up volume. Your fridge and freezer run most efficiently when they're defrosted regularly. 

  • Saving An energy-efficient fridge will save around £35 a year.

Use less electricity for cleaning

Always clean full loads when using washing machines, tumble dryers, washer-dryers or dishwashers. The fuller the load, the more energy efficient the cycle.

Look for eco cycles on your domestic appliances. Most modern washing machines and dishwashers have them, and they're designed to use less water and electricity than traditional daily programs. 

Wash lightly soiled clothes at 30°C, except for occasional higher temperature washes. See our guide to using your washing machine for more information.

If you run your dishwasher only when it's full and have an energy-efficient model, it can use less energy than washing up in hot water at the sink.

  • Saving Washing clothes at 30°C can save you around £10 a year.

Clean your fridge

Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the condenser coils at the back or underneath your fridge or freezer. Thick dust can reduce their efficiency by up to 25% if left unchecked. 

  • Saving Up to £4 per year. This may seem like a small money saving, but collectively the reduction in energy waste would be significant.
    Eco Kettle 3

Boil up a better deal

Only fill and boil the kettle with as much water as you need. And descale it regularly. If your kettle is full of limescale, you use more energy to boil the same amount of water.

Because gas is cheaper than electricity, it works out a bit cheaper to boil water on a gas hob than using an electric kettle as long as you are boiling just the quantity you need and stop the hob as soon as it has boiled.

  • Saving Boil only as much water as you need and consider an eco kettle.

Dry clothes more efficiently

Don't hang wet clothes on radiators for drying – use a clothes horse instead. If you need to use a tumble dryer, wring out or spin dry your clothes before putting them in.

Tumble drying does guzzle energy though. Each load costs between approximately 25p and 62p in electricity. 

  • Saving Instead of tumble drying every couple of days, drying naturally will save you between about £45 and £115 annually - more if you have a less efficient machine.

Defrost using your fridge

Defrost frozen food in your fridge. The frozen food will act like an ice pack to help cooling in the fridge, saving electricity that the fridge would otherwise have used.

  • Saving Small savings, but worth bearing in mind if you defrost a lot of food.

More ways to save on electricity at home...

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