Why Buy Eco-Friendly Appliances?
When you replace appliances, why is buying eco-friendly appliances a smart technology choice? There are many reasons why buying eco-friendly appliances is a wise thing to do. We examine the reasons and show how to choose eco-friendly appliances.
3 good reasons to buy eco-friendly appliances
Understanding star ratings on appliances Buying eco-friendly clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers How to buy an eco-friendly refrigerator or freezer Buying eco-friendly heaters and air conditioners How to save money and help the environment when buying ovens and cooktops What about your other appliances? 3 good reasons to buy eco-friendly appliances If you want to save money, buying eco-friendly appliances will save you money. This includes all appliances, from larger appliances like refrigerators to benchtop appliances. Some eco-friendly appliances may cost more and some may be the same price as energy inefficient appliances, but regardless of the price, an eco-friendly appliance will save you money in the long run. Eco-friendly appliances can help keep your family healthier. Many of them are designed without harmful chemicals, which you may not notice, but they are often released into the home environment. We're all aware of greenhouse gases and their effect on the planet. When you buy eco-friendly appliances, you're reducing greenhouse gases and playing a part in reducing overall greenhouse gases helping to reduce the impact on the planet of global warming.
Understanding star ratings on appliances
Most appliances have star ratings on them, but sometimes we overlook the star rating and choose a low star appliance because it's cheaper. This can be a big mistake because the money you save on an appliance will be wasted in the longer run and it doesn't take long for the costs to add up. Star ratings are there to show you how efficient an appliance is. Look more closely and the star rating will also tell how much energy an appliance uses. Compare a low star rating with a higher star rating and see how much a higher star rating will save you. This is particularly important when buying appliances you use everyday that consume electricity. If you're buying a dishwasher or clothes washer, also look for the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS). It will tell you how much water the appliance uses and saving water can help the environment and save money, too.
Buying eco-friendly clothes washers, dryers and dishwashers
We use clothes washers frequently and dishwashers almost every day. When you buy at least a 3.5 star rated clothes washer or dishwasher, it will save 25 percent of running costs over its lifetime. A higher star rating will save even more. Front loading clothes washers are more efficient than top loaders, so consider buying a front loading machine and save on water and electricity.
While clothes dryers are efficient and we sometimes need them, try hanging clothes out to dry when the weather is fine. The sun dries them for free and even makes them smell fresh. You will need the dryer when it's raining, but don't settle for anything less than a 2 star dryer. A higher star label will even be better and will save money.
How to buy an eco-friendly refrigerator or freezer
We all like to have a refrigerator or freezer that can hold everything we need, but sometimes we buy a fridge or freezer that's too large for our needs. It still has to stay cold, but all that empty space uses more energy to keep it cold. Consider your needs and buy a refrigerator and/or freezer that is the right size for your family.
Old fridges are highly inefficient and should be replaced. If your budget doesn't allow you to buy a new fridge, have the seals changed and have an appliance technician check it out for you. They can replace or repair it and it will work more efficiently.
Buying eco-friendly heaters and air conditioners
Heating and cooling the home consumes 40 percent of a home's energy usage. How can you reduce the amount of energy heating and cooling costs? First, look for a higher star rating. For every extra star, the amount of energy used is 10 percent less. Buy at least a 4.5 star rated air conditioner and a higher star rating will be even better.
Some other things you can do to reduce heating and cooling costs are:
Closing doors in rooms that don't need heating or cooling
Buying a ducted heater or air conditioner that allows you to not heat or cool rooms that don't need heating or cooling
Insulating the house and closing gaps in windows and doors will help keep heat or cool air in the house
Try using a fan instead of an air conditioner. Fans use far less energy and can keep you cool
Every degree hotter a heater is uses 10 percent more energy and every degree cooler an air conditioner is uses 10 percent more energy, too. Try adjusting the thermostat one or two degrees cooler for heaters or warmer for air conditioners and save on energy costs.
It's worth taking any steps you need to take to reduce heating and cooling costs. An easy way to rely less on heating is to allow the winter sun into the home to help https://ourrhomelondon.com/blog/ warm it. In the summer, block the sun with curtains or awnings to prevent sunlight from heating the home.
How to save money and help the environment when buying ovens and cooktops
Ovens and cooktops do not have star ratings, so you can't choose an electric oven or cooktop based on its star rating. However, consider using natural gas instead of electricity because natural gas uses about a quarter of carbon dioxide compared with electricity produced by coal.
If you do buy an electric oven, use a fan-forced oven and save on electricity costs. Also consider buying an induction cooktop, which uses 65 percent less energy than an electric cooktop and about half the energy of gas.
What about your other appliances?
Do you want a big screen plasma or LCD TV? Think twice before buying one because they use an enormous amount of energy. How big a screen do you really need? Choose a screen size you can view easily, but try to avoid buying a big screen TV. A microwave oven uses far less energy than an oven, so use your microwave whenever possible. And when you buy other small appliances, they should come with an energy star label. Choose higher stars and save on electricity bills and help the environment. You can save money on lighting, too, by purchasing LED lights or compact fluorescents instead of incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs use more energy because they get hot and that is wasted energy. LED bulbs cost more, but last far longer and use very little energy. The extra cost will be made up for over time when you don't have to replace bulbs and save on energy costs. Compact fluorescent lights use more power than LEDs, but far less than incandescent bulbs.
When you buy eco-friendly appliances, it's a win-win situation because you save money on energy bills and do your part to reduce greenhouse gases. You needn't go out and replace all your appliances today, but as you need new ones, look for higher star ratings or think about switching to natural gas or an induction cooktop if you're buying an oven or cooktop. Look for the most eco-friendly appliances you can find and you won't regret it when you see your energy bills reduced.