The eco house guide Eco kitchen

The average kitchen is packed with energy-guzzling appliances that could collectively equate to a larger than necessary household carbon footprint. Help is at hand, though – we've tackled each kitchen appliance in turn to help you create a more eco-friendly kitchen.

Choose an eco-friendly washing machine for your kitchen

Eco kitchen appliances

With rising energy costs and greater awareness of environmental issues, many homeowners are looking for more efficient, eco-friendly appliances that use less electricity or water to run whilst still performing their tasks effectively. You can find a full range of kitchen appliances independently tested in our .

Washing and drying in your eco kitchen

Washing machine energy efficiency has improved in recent years, but some washing machines remain more energy efficient than others. If you're looking for an eco-friendly model for your kitchen, use the compare features and prices page in our review of more than 170 washing machines to find the ones that scored well for energy efficiency.

If you have a tumble dryer in your kitchen, you may find it harder to be eco-friendly, as they are generally known to be energy guzzlers – and most are C-rated for energy efficiency accordingly. There are more energy-efficient options on the market, however – our full tumble dryers review can help you to find a more eco-friendly machine.

Plus our efficient washing machine and eco-friendly tumble drying guides have advice on using the appliances you've got in a more eco-friendly way.

A condensing boiler is the most energy efficient boiler type

Boilers: eco-friendly options

Heating uses more energy in your home than any other activity – making the financial and environmental savings high when it comes installing an energy efficient boiler.

Installing a condensing boiler is the best option for an eco-friendly kitchen. According to the Energy Saving Trust, replacing an old G-rated boiler with a new high-efficiency condensing boiler and improving your heating controls, could save you as much as £235 a year on your heating bills.

The efficiency of a boiler is normally expressed as a percentage – some new condensing boilers can be up to 92% efficient compared with new non-condensing ones that are around 78% efficient – while older boilers can be only 55 to 65% efficient. Find out more – and see which boilers make Best Buys – in our comprehensive review of boilers.

Choosing a dishwasher for your eco kitchen

If you're thinking of buying a dishwasher for your kitchen, you might be surprised to find out that the most efficient dishwashers on the market use less water to wash a full load of dishes than washing by hand. An efficient full-sized dishwasher can wash up nearly 130 items with just 12 litres of water – that's only slightly more than the water a standard washing-up bowl holds.

Use your dishwasher's eco program to save on energy and water each time you wash, and only begin a cycle if you've got a full load of dishes.

Which? has tested more than 130 dishwashers, and each one is scored on how much energy and water it consumes during a main and eco program. Plus see our water saving products review for more water efficiency advice for dishwashers.

Choose fridges and freezers that rate well for energy efficiency

Eco kitchen: refrigeration

After heating, refrigeration is the next biggest domestic user of energy and accounts for around 20% of the electricity consumed by domestic appliances. This makes refrigerator and freezer efficiency a key consideration if you’re looking to lower energy costs and do your bit for the environment by running a more eco-friendly kitchen.

We independently calculate average running costs for fridges, freezers and fridge freezers during our testing, which will give you a realistic idea of how energy efficient each model is. Find out more in our fridges, freezers and fridge freezers reviews.

Small kitchen appliances

When you're thinking about choosing more eco-friendly products for your kitchen, it's easy to forget about the smaller appliances we use on a daily basis in our kitchens – but products including hand blenders, coffee machines, breadmakers, toasters, kettles and microwaves all have an environmental impact and will consume electricity. As with all , you should be mindful of energy consumption when using these small items too:

• Only boil the amount of water you need – don't overfill your kettle.
• Unplug items when you're not using them – microwaves, kettles and other small electricals consume electricity when not in use but plugged in.
• Remember to recycle small electricals when you no longer want them – many small electricals fall under the regulations of the Weee Directive, so ask an electrical retailer if they have a store take back scheme, or ask your local council where your nearest electrical recycling centre is.