Shopping Guides 5 Eco Appliances

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1. Save Energy, Save The World (Image 1 of 6)

Far be it for us to welcome the credit crunch currently bringing the world to its knees, but don’t you find that a pressing financial incentive spurs you on to carry out your good environmental intentions? Where in the past we have all nodded earnestly about the need to turn down the thermostat a degree or three, while basking in the tropical heat of our living rooms, now we find we’d have to sell the family jewels to warm one room above 15 degrees. So just as we can see the staggering cost of petrol as Mother Nature’s way of finally getting us on that bike, let’s see the hike in fuel costs as motivation to embrace the wondrous world of energy-efficient appliances.

By Kerry Young


• Don’t do the washing up Conveniently, using a dishwasher is more environmentally friendly than washing by hand, but only if you use the dishwasher economically. Only use it when it’s full and run it on an eco setting whenever you can.

• Peg it Tumble dryers are the monsters of energy use, so avoid using one – washing hung out on the line will smell fresh and get a little natural bleaching from the sun, too.

• Fill the fridge An empty fridge freezer has to work a lot harder to keep cool, so keep the fridge as full as possible. If you’re due a trip to the market, fill it up with bottles of tap water instead (which will save you running the tap and wasting water for a cool drink too, how cunning).

• Cut the frost An iced-up freezer is not working efficiently – defrost regularly to cut energy waste.

• Wear more clothes A washing machine also works most efficiently when it’s full, so hold off putting it on until you have a large load. If you do need to run through a smaller load, go easy on the detergent, choose a low-temperature programme and use a half-load setting.


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