Save on your appliances 

Household appliances can make up a big chunk of your power costs (up to 30%!). Making a few small changes to how you use them can make a big difference. Here are our top tips. 

General appliances

1. Turn appliances like TV's, computers and game consoles off at the wall. Appliances on standby can up to 3% or more of household energy use. 

2. When buying new appliances choose energy efficient models to save. The higher the efficiency rating, the less they cost to run!

3. Charge your phone during the day so that you can unplug it when fully charged (instead of leaving it plugged in all night!)

4. Lamps mean you only light the room where it's needed. Use LEDs wherever you can, they use 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer!

More power saving advice

Kitchen appliances 

1. Fridges and freezers account for 8% to 13% of household energy bills. It's important to choose an energy efficient one. Also, keep fridges running at 3°C to 4°C and freezers at -15°C to -18°C.

2. Dishwashers with a drying feature use more power and are therefore less energy-efficient. If you can, turn the drying option off.

3. Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven. It uses less power and cooks faster.

4. Fridges and freezers work best when they're full. To keep them working at their best when they're not full, put some bottles of water inside to take up space. 

Laundry appliances 

1. Wash in cold water - more power is used to heat the water to wash your clothes than it what it takes to run the washer. 

2. Wash with a full load. If you can't, adjust the water level. 

3. Don't overfill or put soaking wet clothes in the dryer, and chuck in a dry towel to speed up the drying process.

4. Front loading washing machines are more effcient. They use less power, less water and even less detergent! 

More tips for saving in the laundry