In 2020, add saving the planet to your list of New Year’s resolutions! January 10 is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, posing an opportunity for us to turn our attention to our appliance usage—and our monthly electric bill. Make a splash by investing in efficient Energy Star appliances that are guaranteed to save you dollars every month. Here are some other tips everyone can adopt to save energy in our day-to-day appliance use.
Refrigerator
Sometimes, we got to spend a little to save a lot. This rule applies when it comes to curbing energy use for most refrigerators. Since it comes down to limiting the number of times you open your fridge and freezer doors to preserve the interior temperature, we recommend shelling out on a glass-door model— like this built-in refrigerator from GE Monogram. Checking if you’re running out of milk is easier than ever, as you can make your shopping list without opening the fridge!
If you’re feeling particularly generous toward the heart of your home, you might consider a smart fridge. Samsung carries a French-door model that has three interior cameras, meaning you can view the contents of your refrigerator from your smartphone while you’re at the grocery store!
Oven Range
Instead of heating up last night’s mac and cheese in the oven or that leftover soup over the stove, we advise you to use a toaster oven or a microwave to warm up your meals. It turns out that these smaller appliances use up less energy than conventional electric and gas ranges.
And if you’re a bit of an impatient cook, we’d like to remind you to keep the oven door closed as you’re waiting for your casserole to brown at the edges. The oven’s internal temperature can drop by as many as 25 degrees each time you open the door, so just use the oven light for a visual check-in! And if you’re stirring up something delicious on your cooktop, we say to put a lid on it and to try to keep it on as much as possible.
Dishwasher
Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it, so be sure to only leave the job to your Energy Star-certified dishwasher if you’ve got a full load of dishware to clean. To save even more water, we’d avoid using the rinse-hold setting on your machine—alarmingly, this feature uses up to 7 times more gallons of hot water per use.
Also, did you know that air drying your washed dishes on a rack instead of running them through your dishwasher’s drying cycle can cut your appliance’s energy use by 15 to 50 percent? That’s a few bucks back in your pocket!
Washer
By the same token, in the spirit of saving water, we recommend filling up your washer appliance only if you’ve got a full load of laundry. In addition, we implore you to wash in cold water year-round, which could even help preserve your most delicate of laundry items—and save you around 60 dollars annually!
Dryer
We promise you these energy-saving tips won’t leave you high and dry. Invest in a Whirlpool front-load gas dryer that comes with an EcoBoost setting, using less heat and extended cycle time. Another energy-saving tactic? Cleaning your dryer’s lint filter and tubing regularly to keep your appliance running efficiently!
And perhaps the most obvious “hack:” air dry whenever possible—which, in sunny Arizona, is almost always. An outdoor clothesline works beautifully, or for a makeshift version, there are drying racks or vinyl-top tables you can use to sprawl out your damp laundry.
Well, there you have it! Conserving energy (and saving money from your monthly expenses) in your appliance use is a relative breeze if you remember to apply these tidbits of knowledge. Make this venture even easier by shopping for Energy Star-certified refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry machines at Spencer’s TV & Appliance! We’d be more than happy to walk you through our appliances' eco-friendly features. Stop by our store today!