Most household electrical appliances nowadays come with an 'eco' mode, which we are told is greener and more efficient than the standard settings.
The potential savings - in water as well as energy - look like a good idea, but with some appliances taking as long as five hours to do their job on eco setting, it's not for those in a hurry. But if you have the time to load up your dishwasher or washing machine and leave it or you are on a cheaper Economy 7 rate and set the appliances to run overnight, you could save cash.
There's a lot of confusion around eco settings and how much they save, and it is certainly counterintuitive to believe a quick 30-minute spin in the washing machine can cost more than a three-hour wash.
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How do eco settings work?
When it comes to washing machines and dishwashers – the appliances where you’re most likely to find an eco-setting – there are three factors at play: time, temperature and water. Every single setting will be some combination of these three elements. As most UK washing machines and dishwashers are cold-fill only, they have to heat their own water, and The savings come because the bulk of energy used by the machine comes from the heating. The electricity needed to turn the drum or power the sprayers is much less than the energy required to heat the water, and if your wash cycle is longer, the water doesn’t need to be heated up as much as shorter programmes as your clothes or dishes will benefit from a longer soak.
Here we look at five different appliances and see what savings can be made, thanks to Thisismoney.
Washing machine
Running a washing machine on the eco setting normally takes at least two hours, but appliances expert Andrew Lord reckons this can still use less energy than a 30-minute quick wash. 'When you are in eco mode, clothes get a longer soak and less water is used,' he said.
The same temperatures are achieved in eco mode as on standard settings, but because the water takes longer to warm up, up to 20% less energy is used. However, the biggest savings come from running the washing machine at a lower temperature. Cutting it from 40 to 30 degrees uses just over half the energy and still does a thorough job of cleaning clothes, according to consumer group Which?
Money saved: A two-hour cycle could cost around £1.43 and using eco mode could save 28p a wash. Washing at a lower temperature on a standard wash would save around 71p. Use eco mode as well and you could reduce it further still to 57p.
Tumble dryer
Currently the black sheep of the kitchen, many families have shunned the tumble dryer because of its high running costs. On average, a tumble dryer uses around 4.8 kWh of energy, so around £1.63 an hour. Some have an eco mode, which can cut the drying time by about 10 minutes, although clothes may be left very slightly damp so can't be put straight into cupboards and wardrobes.
However, if you are in the market for a new dryer or want a more efficient model, much bigger savings can be made using the eco mode on dryers that contain a heat pump. These dryers reheat air that is already hot from passing through the drum and use less than half the electricity. However, they cost about twice as much as a standard dryer, although the cost is coming down.
Money saved: Eco setting can knock around 30p off the cost of drying a load of clothes, but if you want bigger savings, a heat pump dryer will start to pay for itself after a couple of years if you use it frequently.
Dishwasher
You can really clean up the savings if you use your dishwasher in eco mode, according to consumer expert Which? A spokesman said: "We have found that eco modes on dishwashers can use between 20 and 40 per cent less energy than traditional normal settings. They usually take longer than a standard wash but over a year offer great savings.
Money saved: A typical dishwasher costs around £1.02 for a standard wash, so if you run your dishwasher =on average five timnes a week, the savings over a year could be as much as £106.
Fridge freezer
Most fridges and freezers have an eco mode but it is designed for when the fridge freezer is not being opened regularly, such as when you are on holiday. Using eco mode can knock around 15 per cent off the annual cost, becasue when the door is shut for long periods, no cold air can escape.
Money saved: The average fridge freezer uses around 275 kWh of energy a year, amounting to around £94. So eco mode would save £14 a year.
Television
Modern TVs usually have an eco mode settingin a menu accessed via the remote control, but What Hi-Fi? magazine has dismissed this as little more than a gimmick, with impaired performance for very little saving. "Before rushing to make sure your TV is running in eco mode, there is one significant downside to consider – it can really mess up your picture quality,'" it says.
Money saved: A modern LCD flat-screen TV uses around 0.12kWh (4p/hour). The eco mode lowers the lighting so the picture is much duller, and saves you about a penny every two hours.
Gas boiler
If you have an eco mode on the controls of your boiler, it will use around 10% less energy, according to boiler manufacturer Worcester. However, the downside is that the function works by turning off your pre-heat settings, meaning when you turn on the hot water tap, you will have to wait perhaps ten seconds before the water runs at your required temperature.
There are plenty of other ways to make your boiler run more cheaply, including turning down the thermostat, switching off radiators in rooms not being used and keeping the area in front of radiators clear so the heat can circulate freely.
Money saved: Over a year, you could save up to 750 kWh, according to Worcester. With gas prices currently capped at 10.3p per kWh, that adds up to £77 a year.
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