As the cost of living crisis continues to worsen, experts have revealed the five household appliances that drain the most energy, as well as how much each one costs to run.
New data has revealed that energy bills could soar past £5,000 by April 2023 as the energy price cap is expected to rise dramatically. Independent energy consultancy Auxilione has stated that Ofgem could set the price cap as high as £5,038.
With households across Scotland and the UK worried about affording their bills, people are looking for ways to cut back on costs in any way possible.
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In response, energy specialists at Radiators Online have shared the five most energy-draining appliances around your house and how much they cost to run per year.
Revealing the most inexpensive appliance to run, a Radiators Online spokesperson commented: “The cheapest household product on our list is the washing machine. This appliance is a widely used Energy Star model and only needs 500 watts per hour to run.
“This is because your washing machine uses more energy heating water than it does doing anything else during a wash cycle. So, washing machines are more energy efficient by using cold water, which most people prefer to use when doing their laundry.
“Hence, if used every day for a year, a washing machine’s electricity costs £18.25. Overall, refrain from using your energy-intensive appliances as much as possible, opt for energy star®-rated models and consider cheaper alternatives.”
As reported by The Mirror, here is a breakdown of the most energy-guzzling household appliances.
1. Air conditioning and heating
According to the experts, "your HVAC system is the biggest consumer of energy in your home".
They add: “Most HVAC systems run 24 hours a day; therefore, depending on the efficiency of your unit, on average, it may use 72kWh in a day, costing you a staggering £4,967.65 a year and £13.61 every day.
“To save money, invest in a programmable thermostat. If you assumed the energy costs of running a fan are minimal, you’d be right.
“Consider direct current fans. They use so little energy that operating one at full speed for 24 hours a day would cost between £24.83 and £164.25 a year.”
2. Water heating
The Radiator Online specialists state that water heaters can cost approximately £828.55 if used every day for a year. To help save on money, they instead recommend using heat pumps, which use electricity to transfer heat and use about 500 watts.
3. Fridge
The experts commented: “A refrigerator must run 24 hours a day to keep your food fresh. This appliance needs 180 watts per hour to run, which means it requires 4.32 kWh to run for 24 hours.
“Multiplying this by 365 days at the average price per kWh, we find that your fridge is costing you £299.30 per year.”
4. Dishwasher
While dishwashers are undeniably convenient, they can be very expensive to run. According to Radiators Online, running a dishwasher for an hour uses around 1800 watts — and most run for around two hours.
The experts add: “This means it uses 3.6 kWh per average, costing you about £240.20 if used daily for a year.”
5. Oven
While the oven itself is not the most costly household appliance, opening and closing the door while in use can prove very expensive. The Radiator Online experts state: “We estimated that an oven is used, on average, for about an hour a day.
“It takes about 2400 watts for an average oven to run. Therefore, it requires 2.4 kWh for one hour of use and costs about £164.25 to use daily for a year.”
For more information, visit Radiators Online here.
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