Using Appliances Efficiently
While having energy-efficient appliances is important, using your appliances in more efficient ways is also important in reducing energy use.
In this Section
Using Appliances Efficiently
While having energy-efficient appliances is important, using your appliances in more efficient ways is also important in reducing energy use. For example, you might not see big savings from a new ENERGY STAR fridge if the door is constantly open, or if you overload your dryer and it takes ages to dry your clothes.
Clothes Washer
- Wash full loads of clothes. Clothes washers are most efficient when full, but not overloaded. That's why it's important to choose one that's the right size for your needs.
- Set the water level to suit each load. Some machines have an automatic water-level selector. Using less hot water means using less energy in your home.
- Use cold water. Over 10% of the energy we use in our homes is for heating water and studies show that clothes rinsed in cold water come out just as clean.
- Use high-efficiency detergents for ENERGY STAR washers. Regular detergents can create too many suds, which can lead to soils not being completely rinsed out of both the laundry and the washer.
Clothes Dryer
- Clean the filter before every load. Cleaning the lint out of your dryer is important for safety reasons, but it will also allow air to flow more smoothly, which will dry your clothes faster.
- Avoid putting dripping wet clothes into your dryer. The wetter your clothes are, the harder your machine has to work to dry them. Wring out your clothes or spin them in the clothes washer first.
- Uncrumple your clothes. Your dryer can waste a considerable amount of energy uncrumpling your clothes to get them dry enough.
- Fill, but don't overload. The clothes dryer already consumes more energy than any other appliance and too much clothing will block airflow, lengthen drying times and overwork the machine.
- Start your second load of drying as soon as the first is finished. Dryers have to generate a considerable amount of heat to dry our clothes. Since the dryer won't have to warm up, you'll save energy.
- Get the timing right. Many dryers have an automatic sensor control that detects when your clothes are dry. Otherwise, you can experiment with your dryer's timer to determine how long it takes to dry certain loads.
- Use the "cool down" or "perma-press" setting. During this setting, the heat is off for the last few minutes and drying continues as cool air is blown through tumbling clothes. This saves money and reduces shrinking.
Fridge
- Don't keep the door open longer than necessary. By keeping your fridge well organized and free of clutter, you can easily reduce the amount of time the door is open, while allowing air to circulate easily on the inside.
- Do not place warm food or containers in the refrigerator. Placing warm items in the fridge will mean the cooling system will have to work harder to keep everything cold.
- Make sure the door seals are clean and tight. The door seals should be able to hold a slip of paper snugly. If the paper slips out easily, replace the seals. Another way to check the seals is by placing a lit flashlight inside the refrigerator and closing the door. If you can see light around the door, the seals need to be replaced.
- Unplug an older, second refrigerator if you aren't using it. Older refrigerators can use twice as much energy as new models.
Stove
- Don't open the oven door too often. Every time you open the oven door, as much as 20% of the heat escapes and the oven has to work that much harder to replace it.
- Match your pot to the size of the element. The base of the pot should just cover the electric cooking ring. If the pot is too large for the element, more energy will be required to heat the pot. If the pot is too small, energy is lost.
- Make sure your oven's door seals are clean and tight. The door seals should be able to hold a slip of paper snugly. If the paper slips out easily, replace the seals. Another way to check the seals is by placing a lit flashlight inside the cold oven and closing the door. If you can see light around the door, the seals need to be replaced.
- Use the self-cleaning cycle only when necessary. Self-cleaning ovens are better insulated and retain more heat while cooking, but the self-cleaning cycle is energy intensive. Use it only when needed and use the clean cycle right after cooking a meal to take advantage of the heat already in the oven.
Dishwasher
- Clean the filter regularly. The filter in the bottom of your dishwasher can get clogged with dirt, preventing water from draining easily.
- Run your dishwasher only when it's full. Depending on your washing style, using the dishwasher efficiently can actually use less water than washing all the dishes by hand.
- Use energy-saving settings. Many dishwashers have efficiency settings, such as a no-heat drying cycle (also called "air drying"), or "eco-friendly" or "econo" options that use less energy.
In this section
Buying Energy-Efficient Appliances
Using Appliances Efficiently