5 Tips to Reduce Your Washing Machine Power Consumption
Laundry often feels like a never-ending task, and as such, the washing machine tends to be one of the most used appliances within the home. In fact, wet appliances can be responsible for up to ten percent of a household’s energy bills. However, it is not as if you can stop using your washing machine. Instead, you need to find ways to use them more efficiently, cutting down their power consumption and, therefore, your bills too. Let’s explore.
Wash Less Often
This might seem obvious, but one of the easiest ways to lower your washing machine power consumption is simply to do your laundry less often. Instead of doing half-full loads of laundry, wait until you have a full load. Your washing machine uses the same amount of power regardless of the size of the load, so make sure that you are filling it up instead of wasting energy on half loads.
Use the Quick Wash Feature
A lot of people are under the impression that the quick wash feature on their washing machines isn’t as effective, but this is simply not the case. Unless your laundry has some stubborn stains or discolouration, the quick wash will do the job. It uses less energy, making them cheaper, and your laundry is ready quicker too.
Soak Stains
Instead of putting your stained clothes in for a longer or hotter spin and using more energy, you should pre-soak the stains before you put the clothes into the washing machine. There are a number of methods that you can use to remove stains from old tricks using baking soda and vinegar to stain removers that you can buy from the store. Either way, soaking your stains beforehand means you can put your clothes in on a quicker or cooler cycle and save some energy.
The Detergent
Look at your washing machine to ascertain what type of detergent your machine needs. If your current detergent is producing too much lather, it means the washing machine has to enter another rinse cycle which wastes energy and money. Dig out the manual or check out the manufacturer’s site for advice.
Energy Efficient Machines
If you have been doing all of the things above, but your bills and energy consumption still seem too high, it might be worth buying a new machine. There are a lot of washing machines out there – like these from Toshiba – that are more energy efficient. They don’t consume as much power making them cheaper to run, and they still get your clothes nice and clean too.
In Conclusion
Realistically, no one really enjoys doing the laundry, and the fact that wet appliances can be so expensive to run does not help matters. However, reducing your energy usage doesn’t have to be difficult. Take on board the tips above to reduce your energy consumption and save yourself some money while you are at it. Of course, it does all begin with your washing machine; if your washing machine is older or inefficient, then the above tips won’t make too much difference so bear that in mind.