Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to buy all new energy efficient appliances for their home (but if you are, make sure to check the EnerGuide label to see how much energy is consumed in a year). What can you do if you want to save energy (and money!) but are stuck with the appliances you have? These tips will ensure your appliances operate as efficiently as possible:
Clothes Washer
- A large portion of the energy consumed by a washer goes to heating water, so use cold water for the rinse cycle and reduce hot water use.
- Only run your dishwasher when you have a full load. It will uses the same amount of water whether it is half full or completely full.
- Use the air dry setting. It will reduce electricity consumption by using "leftover" heat from the cleaning process instead of generating more heat with more electricity.
- Locate your refrigerator away from heat sources such as a heat vent, oven or dishwasher. Putting it close to a heat source only makes it use more energy to keep food cold.
- Don’t set your refrigerator too cold. A temperature just 4°C colder than necessary will increase energy consumption by almost 10 percent. It is recommended that the freezer compartment be set at –18°C and the refrigerator compartment about 3°C.
- Clean the filter before every load to ensure maximum operating efficiency.
- Dry 2 or 3 loads in a row in order to take advantage of the dryer’s retained heat.
- Use the self-cleaning function of your oven immediately after baking when it is still hot, because less energy will be required to reach the cleaning temperature.
- Use your microwave oven rather than your range when possible. Microwaves use up to 50 percent less energy because they do not require pre-heating and all of the energy produced goes into heating food, not the oven or utensils.
More informaton is available from The City of Calgary
