How much appliances cost to run

In this section:

• Appliance running costs
• Standby
• Take action

By understanding how energy efficient or expensive-to-run appliances can be, you can make big savings on your power bill.

Many appliances sold in New Zealand now comply with minimum energy performance standards. However you can still make significant savings on your power bill by choosing more energy efficient appliances, using them smartly and switching them off when not in use.

Read the following about how to take action to make savings.

Appliance running costs

Over one third (35%) of your home energy bill is from using appliances, and this percentage is growing as we continue to buy more energy consuming products.

This includes:

• lighting
• refrigeration
• home entertainment and home office
• cooking
• laundry

Most appliances can be turned off at the wall when not being used. For example, using your heated towel rail for 4 hours a day – instead of 24 hours – will easily save you around $100 per year.

Fridges have traditionally been the most expensive appliance to run in your home. But improvements in standards have led to big power savings. For example, a modern family fridge-freezer with a 3.5 star energy rating label will cost you around $100 per year. Compare that to a 10-year-old fridge of the same size which costs $200 a year to run.

As the average age of a fridge in NZ homes is around 16 years, the savings made over the life of the new fridge can be as much as the initial purchase price.

Televisions are fast becoming the new energy-guzzling product in our homes as we buy larger screens and watch them for longer. For example, a 50 inch television could cost you around $300 a year to run.

Standby

The average household could be saving around 10% on their power bill if appliances on standby were switched off.^[1.] Find out how below.

What is standby power?

Standby power is the energy used by an appliance while it’s plugged in but not being used.

A small amount may be required to maintain memory or a clock or remote control. But most standby power performs no useful function.

This wasted energy could account for around 10% of your total household electricity use.

Where is standby power being used?

Did you know it takes more electricity to keep your DVD in standby for a year than it actually uses playing DVDs?

In the early hours of the morning, microwaves, TVs and videos are silently sucking power out of electrical sockets while you sleep. If your appliances’ lights and clocks are on, they’re using power.

Turning off appliances at the wall when you’re not using them will make a noticeable saving to your energy bill over a year.

Your home entertainment products account for around two-thirds (61%) of standby energy use in the home. These include your:

• televisions
• audio equipment
• VCR and DVD players
• games consoles
• Sky decoders.

Other products that could be wasting power in standby in your home could include computers and home office equipment, microwaves, washing machines and dishwashers.

Take action

Buy energy efficient appliances:

• Look for products displaying the ENERGY STAR® mark or look at the energy rating labels to compare how efficient they are.
• Find out more about energy efficient products and what to look for in the next section on ‘Choosing the best appliances’.

Turn off appliances at the wall:

• Where practical, switch off appliances at the power point when they’re not in use.
• Add this to your morning and evening routines.
• Buy ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances as they use one watt or less in standby.

Other things you can do:

• Turn lights off when you leave the room.
• Switch off your heated towel rail during the day if you can or have an electrician fit a timer.
• Use cold water washes - a warm wash uses as much energy as drying the clothes in the dryer.
• Line-dry clothes as much as possible before using the dryer.
• Only heat the rooms you’re using.
• Use a household energy meter (for example, a Centameter) to find out where your power is going.