Just how much energy are you wasting in your home?
More than £43 million is wasted on energy bills thanks to a habit of holding on to old kitchen appliances such as fridges or freezers.
The research, from IKEA, shows one in ten people wait up to 15 years or more before buying a replacement fridge and create over 135kg of carbon dioxide each year in the process. However, with newer models providing up to 46 per cent better energy efficiency, a new fridge-freezer could actually pay for itself in less than four years.
After central heating, domestic cooling appliances like fridges and freezers are the biggest contributors to energy bills, accounting for 20 per cent of electricity consumed by domestic appliances in the home. However, a third of people wrongly believe the fridge uses the least amount of energy of all kitchen appliances.
It’s not just the nation’s fridges that cause confusion; 21 per cent of adults in the UK mistakenly think the dishwasher uses the most amount of energy of all kitchen appliances and two thirds would rather wash dishes in the sink in a misguided bid to save water. However, dishwasher water consumption can be up to three or four times less than washing the same amount of crockery and cutlery by hand.
Eco-design expert and TV presenter, Oliver Heath believes a few simple steps in the kitchen could make all the difference when it comes to saving on energy bills: “Making your kitchen more energy efficient doesn’t have to be expensive. Kitchen design has come a long way in recent years and stores such as IKEA work hard to offer product solutions for the eco-conscious at affordable prices.”
“However if you can’t afford to replace your fridge there are a few things you can do to limit the amount of energy your fridge uses up. Placing your fridge away from other appliances, regularly dusting the coils at the back of your fridge and using an energy-efficient light bulb inside the fridge are all ways to reduce the energy it uses.”
IKEA tips for limiting fridge energy usage:
- Avoid placing your fridge next to a radiator or cooker where it is fighting to cool itself.
- A buzzing refrigerator is probably costing money. It may well be that the condenser coils behind the unit are dusty and dirty. Cleaning these yearly and leaving enough space for it allow airflow will improve the efficiency.
- Simple repairs can often help. Changing or cleaning door seals can improve the efficiency of the fridge and simply defrosting your fridge or freezer will improve its performance.
- To check if you have a leak in your fridge put a torch inside the unit, shut the door and see if you can see light leaking out around the seal. If the seals are ok put a thermometer inside and see if the freezer is around -18 degrees C and the fridge at 3 to 5 C.