THERE are labels to look out for when buying appliances which could save you hundreds of pounds on your energy bills.
Buying an energy efficient appliance can help you cut hundreds of pounds off your energy bill.
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However, one in three don’t understand what the labels mean, according to uSwitch.
It’s very confusing for shoppers because a new system was introduced in 2020, but some shops are still using the old labels.
The old labels measured appliances from A+++ to D – in between you have A++, A+, A, B, C and D.
Water efficiency is measured from A to G – A being the best, although it isn’t really an indication of how much that’ll cost you.
There are then icons which tell you how long the product takes to use, i.e. if it’s a dishwasher then it’ll tell you how long one cycle takes.
You’ll also be told the maximum weight it can carry, the noise output and then how much kilowatts per year it uses.
However, the new labels are a lot simpler and should make it easier for you to work out how much it could cost you to run.
Appliances are now ranked from A to G, A being the most efficient.
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The icons also tell you how long it takes per use, how much it can hold, what the noise output and how much water it uses.
This makes it easier to work out how much your household might need to use it and how much that could cost you.
Instead of telling you how many kilowatts per hour it uses over a year, it tell you how many it uses per 100 uses.
If you then divide that figure by 100, that can tell you how much energy it uses each time – this makes it much easier to figure out how much it could cost you.
A typical A+ rated oven could cost £85.63 to run for a year, an extra £11.17 annually compared to £96.80 for an A rated oven, according to uSwitch.
The most efficient oven cost £110 more to buy, which means it would take nearly ten years for the more expensive appliance to pay for itself in energy savings at the current unit rates.
In comparison, one brand selling fridge-freezers offered an A-rated appliance and an F-rated one both listed at exactly the same price.
However, the F-rated fridge-freezer would cost £97.92 a year to run, compared to £36.72 for the most efficient appliance — highlighting the importance of checking the energy efficiency label.
We’ve previously revealed which appliances drain your energy the most.
How to save money when buying appliances
When choosing an appliance, as stated above, always look at the label – this will tell you how energy efficient it is and therefore give you an indication on how much it could cost you.
If the appliance has the new label, then make sure it’s got band A (to at least as close to A as possible) as this means it’s most energy efficient.
Of course, it’s also wise to shop around first to see which companies are selling the item you’re after for the cheapest price.
You might also want to wait for sales days such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day – you could save a lot of money.
If you can, ask a technician for advice on which item to buy.
While a well-reviewed product might be something to go for, a technician will probably be able to give you a better picture on what’s right for you and your home.
Consider whether you’ll need someone to delivery and install it and how much that will cost.
Sometimes the store where you’ve bought it from offers delivery and installation but that might be more expensive than hiring someone yourself.
So do your research first to find out which is cheaper for you.
How to cut appliance costs
Households can cut the costs of these six energy guzzlers by swapping them out or reducing their running time.
For example, if a household chose to swap their oven and hob to use an air fryer, microwave and toaster they’d slash their bills by £750 a year.
The average air fryer costs £16.80 to run if used for an hour every day of the month – substantially less than running a hob and oven at the same time.
Household with an electric shower can cut their costs in half from £18.36 a month to £9.18 a month if they halve the time spent showering.
The same goes for TV costs – if a household were to cut their viewing time from 4 hours a day to 2 hours they’d save over £3 a month.
Households taking cost-cutting to the next level can do so by swapping out their televisions for a tablet and streaming content instead.
Those looking to further slash their costs should think carefully before running their dishwasher and washing machines daily.
Households can save a considerable amount of money by using them once every three days instead of every day.
If you were to run three dishwasher cycles a week instead of one per day – you’d save £3.36 a month or £40.32 a year.
Households that run their washing machine every three days as opposed to seven will save £5.64 a month or £67.68 a year.
But if you do need to run a cycle every day you can cut costs further by setting your machine to a lower temperature.
Reducing your washing temperature to 30°C could save you £13 a year, while cutting further to 20°C could shave £24 off your annual bill.
