Confused.com’s Top Five Power-Hungry Appliances

Publication Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008

As the cost of living continues to climb, many of us are having to tighten our belts. But is cutting down our outgoings as difficult as we think? Confused.com have a bunch of suggestions as to how to make small savings on a day-to-day basis. And if we make little savings often, the net effect will be a good-sized saving over a length of time, and consequently more manageable finances. Let’s delve in, shall we?

Along with food and petrol, utility bills have also began to pinch harder at UK consumers in recent months. So how can we limit the amount we shell out on energy? Well one way is to switch to a cheaper tariff, especially if you’ve not switched before (see our article ‘Is now the right time to switch to a fixed-price energy tariff?’). The other way to reduce household outgoings is to go to the source, and reduce power usage itself.

But which of our household appliances are the largest drain on our bank accounts? This will depend really on the electrical devices you tend to use most frequently:

Simply put, consumption can be reduced by using devices for a shorter period of time. However, that’s not to say there aren’t any devices which are serial offenders. With this in mind, here are Confused.com’s top five power-hungry appliances, and how we can put them to more efficient use:

1. Water tanks
If you have an old-fashioned system of heating water (with a water tank in your airing cupboard, for example), be sure that you have a tank jacket for insulation. Also, why not turn your thermostat down? There is little point in having scalding hot water if you need to dilute it with cold to get the temperature right. Plus, if you can identify times of day when you tend to use hot water and times when you don’t, then why not set the timer on your boiler accordingly.

2. TVs
If you’re not watching the TV, it’s really a good idea to switch them off – not just on standby. And if you happen to be upgrading to digital, have you thought about choosing a TV which has a good record for energy efficiency? There should be a sticker on a new TV which gives an idea of its level of power consumption – so go for one with the efficiency thumbs up! If you’re um-ing and ah-ing between an LCD screen or a plasma, then do bear in mind that according to Which, LCD TVs beat plasma screens “hands down” in energy efficiency terms.

People often make yummy noises over the size of a TV screen. But though the prevailing mentality is that bigger is better, it is a simple fact that bigger will also consume more power. A good way to increase the size of your TV screen is to sit closer to it. Or have you thought about going to a nice park with a good book? Try it – it’s surprisingly good.

3. Vacuum cleaners
Do you really need a vacuum so powerful that you have to fish your carpet and other furniture back out of the bag when you’re finished? Arguably not. And you can reduce usage simply by not dawdling. Why not time yourself vacuuming, and see if you can beat it next time round.

4. Kettles
It is a common habit for people to overfill kettles with water they don’t use. This costs money each time. So it is sensible to only boil the amount of water required… And to ensure it is used when boiled! And what about the Tefal Quick Cup? It claims to heat the right amount of water for a lovely cup of tea in only three seconds. Three! Although currently retailing around the sixty pound mark, Tefal claim that with the energy saved, the kettle will pay for itself when used for two years.

Do also bear in mind that boiling your water in a kettle is much more efficient than doing it on a hob. As such, if you’re cooking vegetables, don’t start from cold – pour boiling water in the pan from the kettle.

5. Toasters
Using a double toaster to cook a single piece of bread means 50% of the energy is wasted! And only cook what you are going to eat.

Cutting down on power consumption is a matter of forming habit as much as anything else. If you make the effort to switch plugs off at the wall or turn off lights if you’re the last person to leave a room, it’ll become second nature in no time. So if you extend the habit of being sparing to all of your household devices, then – with any luck – you may also see this reflected in a reduction in your energy bills. Woo!

For further money-saving ideas, why not check out the power usage reduction section of our 'Detox your bills' article.

Come to Confused.com for price comparisons - another great way of saving money!

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