Kitchen Appliances - Fridge/Freezer:

On our audit chart, the amount of energy consumed per month from the fridge/freezer costs almost EUR12. This can surely be bettered by obtaining a more up to date model. However, the downside is that we will never recoup the payback period on such an item because the appliance cost is high and lifespan is limited, typically 10-15 years. As an example, to purchase a new "side-by-side" fridge freezer to replace the current model would cost EUR1,200. Looking around an electrical superstore recently, I found the most efficient model's rating plate stating an energy consumption of "1.58Kwh per 24 hrs", which equates to 135 watts in operation. So we can break down the figures as:

• current cost per month to run the fridge/freezer: 200 x 12 x 30 x .000181 = EUR13.03.
• cost of new side-by-side fridge/freezer = EUR1,300.
• electricity cost per month to run the new fridge/freezer (estimated) : 135 x 12 x 30 x .000181 = EUR8.79.
• payback period: each month we would use EUR4.24 less electricity to run the fridge, so it would take 306 months, or 25 years, to pay back the initial investment and then continue to save EUR51 per year.
• energy saving per month: EUR3.51

So it really only makes sense to upgrade this appliance once it has reached the end of its life, not before. In other cases where a smaller model fridge is used, the figures may justify buying the most energy efficient model sooner.

Kitchen Appliances - Washing Machine:

Lets look at the washing machine, again factoring in the payback period and energy rating. Our current machine was washing clothes on a cycle which consumed 0.6 Kilowatts per wash. It burned out recently, and we purchased a new A+ energy rated unit, costing EUR380, which has now been installed and consumes just .19 Kilowatts per wash. If we factor in the same costing method as before, we get the following results:

• cost per month to run the previous washing machine: 0.6Kwh x 20 washes x .181 = EUR2.17.
• cost of new A+ energy rated washing machine = EUR380
• electricity cost per month to run the new washing machine : 0.19Kwh x 20 washes x .181 = EUR0.68.
• payback period: each month we would use EUR1.49 less electricity to run the machine, so only after 255 months, or 20 years,  would we have paid back the initial investment.
• energy saving per month: EUR1.49

So again it is only sensible to upgrade this appliance once it has reached the end of its life, and certainly not before. But when selecting a new model, be sure to go for the "A+AA" or "A+AB" rating. The "A+" denotes the power consumption, followed by the washing and drying efficiency.  

Kitchen Appliances - Kettle:

The most used "plug in" appliance seldom gets much coverage, but perhaps with the advent of the eco kettle, all this will change. The basic premise with this new kettle is is that you only release a set volume of water into the boiling chamber of the kettle, thereby reducing the amount of time the electricity is used to heat the water.  

Bearing in mind that I was already careful not to boil more water than I needed in a conventional kettle, I expected the energy savings to be minute. For others, who typically overfill the kettle, the payback period will be considerably reduced. The figures I found were as follows:

• cost per month to run a standard kettle: 0.75Kwh (day) x 30 days x .181 = EUR4.07.
• cost of new eco kettle = EUR58
• electricity cost per month to run the new kettle : 0.54Kwh (day) x 30 days x .181 = EUR2.93.
• payback period: each month we would use EUR1.14 less electricity to run the kettle, so after 50 months, or 4.2 years would we have paid back the initial investment.
• energy saving per month: EUR1.14

Kitchen Lighting:

Look at the cost of lighting the kitchen, it is the highest of all kitchen costs. That's to be expected, after all it is the most used room in the house and in my particular case it also has 8 down lighters. We cannot make the room "less used" in order to save on lighting, but perhaps we could see if the lighting costs could be reduced. The 8 low voltage down lighters use 8x45watts = 360watts. I found some new down lighters, shown below, which run on mains voltage, but rather than use standard GU10 mains bulbs at 50watts each, these lights operate as CFLs, or compact fluorescent lights, using only 9watts each. The light output is equivalent to a 40watt down light. There are even versions of these which can be dimmed, holding up to 4 dimmer settings. The downside to this is that they are not as "instant" a light as the original versions, and take a minute or two to get to full brightness.  However, that's a small price to pay for the energy savings that can be made, which are as follows:

• current cost per month to light the kitchen with low voltage down lights: 360 x 7 x 30 x .000181 = EUR13.68.
• cost of new lights = EUR16 x 8 = EUR128.
• electricity cost per month to light the kitchen with new lights: 72 x 7 x 30 x .000181 = EUR2.74.
• payback period: each month we would use EUR10.94 less electricity to light the kitchen, so in 12 months we would have paid back the initial investment and thereafter we would continue to save EUR130 per year.
• energy saving per month: EUR10.94

Note: LED lighting is yet another new technology which is available now, particularly in the form of mains GU10 style and low voltage MR16 housings. In all tests done so far the brightest output I have seen was from a single 5 or 7watt LED, which appeared to give the equivalent to about 30watts of standard light. So in my view although they promise even further energy savings, they are not yet sufficiently bright to be used as true replacements, and should be avoided until the technology improves. 

Lounge Lighting:

We already have five low energy lights in the lounge, but there are also 3 standard 12v down lighters which, like the kitchen lights, consume way too much electricity. So the energy savings here, based on using the 9watt CFLs, work out as follows:

• current cost per month to light the lounge with down lights: 135 x 5 x 30 x .000181 = EUR3.66.
• cost of new lights = EUR16 x 3 = EUR48.
• electricity cost per month to light the lounge with new lights: 27 x 5 x 30 x .000181 = EUR0.73.
• payback period: each month we would use EUR2.93 less electricity to light the lounge, so in 17 months we would have paid back the initial investment and thereafter we would continue to save EUR35 per year.
• energy saving per month: EUR2.93

Lounge Appliances - TV:

No savings to be made here; the current TV is a plasma model and quite up to date. As per previous page values, the wattage is not excessive given the size of screen and amount of time it is used per day. When not in use we plan to turn it off, to save on the standby costs.

Lounge Appliances - Satellite Receiver:

I was amazed to find that the humble satellite receiver actually consumes almost as much in standby mode as it does in the "on" mode. My energy monitor indicated that when turned "on" the receiver consumed 20watts, but when put into standby it consumed 18watts. That's hardly worth switching it off for, is it!

I am unsure if this is due to the particular model of satellite receiver (Grundig), and do not want to start changing it around in case the connections on a new receiver are different. So another way to solve this would be to use a plug in timer, which physically disconnects the power to the receiver. By switching this off from 2am to 8am that would give a saving of EUR0.65 (20 x 6 x 30 x .000181) per month, making a yearly saving of EUR7.82. So we are talking very small change here. However, each change cumulatively adds up, so this may be worth doing, especially if you already have a plug in timer in the house which is not being used.

Other Lighting:

Down lighters are used in the bedroom, landing, bathroom and en-suite. Although they are not used that much in the bedrooms, the bathroom and en-suites will also benefit from swapping them for the low energy equivalents. Note that a down light converter is sometimes required if you need to cover a larger hole, perhaps made using older "eyeball" type down lights. These can cover various gaps from 46mm to 100mm and can then accept the GU10 bulb pictured above.

In other parts of the house I also have old R50 spot lights; again these are now available in 8watt versions which can directly replace the older spot bulbs. While the initial costs of the lights are higher, at EUR13 per light, the long term savings will be worthwhile if the lights are in regular use.

Our Friend Kelvin:

The colour of the light that we use in our homes can vary considerably. Please be careful to choose the right light for the task. Many people find that cool white is not suitable for most areas, and I tend to agree. So when buying energy saving bulbs make sure you know what you are getting. Here's a quick guide:

• daylight - 6500Kelvin (6500K)
• cool white - 4000Kelvin (4000K)
• warm white - 3000Kelvin (3000K)
• extra warm white - 2700Kelvin (2700K)

Most people will prefer the look of warm white and extra warm white. Note also that "warm white" is a bit of a misnomer, as it actually produces a base white light. The "extra warm white" is equivalent to the colour produced by a halogen light.
 

Ongoing Electricity Monitoring:

Once you have made the initial savings, there are other products which may you can install in your electricity meter box which monitors, in real time, the total units of electricity in use. There are a number of products on the market now, such as Efergy, Owl and Wattson. One of the original systems, called 'Electrisave', originated in Australia, but is now manufactured for use in both Ireland and the UK. There are two main components to these systems; the first is the transmitter with sensor cable which is attached to the cable coming from the electricity meter towards the fuse box. Then the receiver/monitor, which is wireless, can be placed anywhere up to 30metres from the transmitter and this will show the householder the actual units in use. In fact it can also show Kilowatts, Amps, Co2 emission estimates, indoor temperature and humidity.

The receiver/monitor can be programmed with the current electricity tariffs to show you the real cost to you. However, I  believe that the system only works well as an integrated approach when used with the simple plug in energy monitor described earlier. In fact I would suggest that these ongoing monitors are best deployed after you have first used the cheaper plug-in monitor to check and deal with the individual appliances that are the most energy hungry. You can then use products like the Electrisave as an ongoing monitor to ensure that energy saving strategies are continually put into practise. Bear in mind that the system uses 6 batteries, so if possible you really need to use rechargeable batteries otherwise the cost of this product, at over EUR80, coupled to ongoing battery costs every few months, will count against the savings you can make.