More Appliances
Be Smart
There is an evolution underway in how we measure domestic energy consumption. Smart meters show how much money or carbon each individual appliance is consuming. Some smart meters even send readings directly to the energy supplier, doing away with the need for manual readings or estimated bills. Initial research suggests smarter metering could very well help you reduce your energy consumption.
Standby waste be gone!
The average household wastes around £32 each year by leaving appliances on standby. New adaptors are appearing on the market to help eliminate this superfluous energy consumption. These cut the power to electronic products left on standby, but still enable the devices to be switched on using the remote control.
Gas tumble dryers
Gas tumble dryers are a greener, cheaper alternative to the energy devouring electric tumble dryer. They carry out exactly the same task yet their running costs are around a quarter of their electric counterparts, with half the carbon footprint. In fact, their green credentials are so impressive that they were recently awarded "Energy Saving Recommended" endorsement by the Energy Saving Trust. So if you need to dry your clothes indoors, and want to be kind to the environment, gas seems to be the way forward.
Dishwashers make the cut
The case for using a dishwasher to save water is surprisingly strong. According to a recent report by the Market Transformation Programme the water used by a dishwasher is typically four times less than washing up by hand, and the result is generally more effective.
When looking at energy consumption, if you decide to buy a dishwasher, it is important to choose an A rated model, making sure you load it up fully and use a lower temperature programme.
Waste disposal units
Waste disposal units are relatively widely used in the UK and ecologically-speaking their method of dealing with food waste makes sense. Neatly fitting into your sink, they break up food remnants into small particles which end up in water treatment systems and the waste is ultimately recycled into soil conditioner. This, according to research, cuts household waste by 20%, minimising refuse collection.