Today I read an article predicting food prices in the UK would double by 2030. Now that is quite a while away, but thinking about the prices of certain food even in the past ten years, I come to realise that the cost of living, even now, is very expensive.
This fact, coupled with current economic situation means that people are trying to save money wherever they can. So let’s look at the Kitchen, with its continually working white goods and subsequent high energy consumption as a place where we might be able to save some cash!
Looking at our fridges, washing machines, dishwashers and cookers to see the best way to save money on each individual item is a good place to begin.
Over the past 5 years there has been an incredible advancement in white goods energy efficiency, which means when looking for washing machines or fridges you should not only think about the short term cost. This is particularly the case with goods that are left on all the time, because they account for a large portion of your overall electricity bill.
Fridges
You fridge is one of the hardest working electric items in your home, along with the alarm clock and freezer it is left on all the time. In fact, it is thought along with the freezer it can account for nearing 25% of your bill! If you purchase an energy efficient fridge they use around 30% of the energy of fridges over 5 years old, this will save you lots on the bills. You also need to make sure you defrost your fridge and freezer regularly, this helps keep a constant temperature.
Washing Machines
Of course like fridges, new energy efficient washing machines will help you trim down the utility bills. But there are a number of other ways to save energy and money too. If you always make sure you wash at as low a temperature as you can and never wash single items or on half loads, this will help save money. To save on the heating bill, there are a number of cold fill washing machines available too.
Dishwashers
There is still a lot of confusion out there regarding dishwashers v hand washing and which is more efficient. In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that dishwashers are more efficient than hand washing based on a full dishwasher load. This is because of newer cold fill options, saving on hot water. New highly efficient dishwashers also use less water than hand washing, with several bowels needed to equate to one dishwasher load.
Cookers
The cooker is used most days in every household. Therefore it is important to make sure you are getting the very best out of it. From a new purchase point of view it is now best to get a duel fuel cooker. These usually have a gas hob and electric oven, which gives you the best of both worlds in terms of energy cost and efficiency.
There are actually a couple of cooking tips that can help you increase the efficiency of your oven too. Firstly, don’t keep checking your food; you can lose up to a 5th of the heat every time you open the oven door. Secondly I recommend a steamer, as you are using the same heat source to cook a number of meals.
Each one of these energy (and subsequently money) saving tips by themselves will not add up to much. But a change in habits and combination of these tactics can equate to savings in the hundreds of pounds over the course of the year.
Matthew Graham is a Copywriter who thinks there is plenty of money to be saved on white goods such as washing machines and fridges