THE cold weather is upon us.
T-shirts and shorts are being replaced with heavy-duty jumpers and jeans – and it’s a swap that can spike our energy bills.
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That’s because we can fit less jumpers, jeans and heavy duty clothes in our washing machine, compared to filling it with endless tees and shorts in summer.
It takes more laundry cycles to get through dirty winter clothes, meaning we use more energy.
Fortunately, the home appliance experts at Energuide have shared how we can utilise our washing machine programmes to stop our energy bills from rising too much this winter.
The key to any energy saving tip is to make it as easy and simple as possible with little fuss.
read more on energy bills
“Did you know that up to 95% of the energy consumed by your washing machine is used to heat the water?” the experts said.
“So, wash at 30 degrees.
“This is adequate in most cases and is gentler on your clothes.
“If you are washing at a lower temperature, choose a liquid detergent.
“These are more effective because they are already dissolved.”
They also recommended running cycles at night (once you’ve gone to bed) or during weekends, when there’s less other appliances taking up energy.
“If your laundry is not really dirty and your machine allows it, you can also use the ‘fast’, ‘express’ or ’15 minutes’ programme,” the experts added.
“The shorter duration of this programme offsets the electricity consumption.”
Energy bills are set to rise in October.
A new price cap will see the average bill rise for around 28 million households to £1,717 from £1,568 a year – an increase of 10%, or £149.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year – irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type – this will give you your usage costs.
You’ll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage – this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you’ll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.
It’s worth bearing in mind that this is based on the typical household on a dual-fuel standard variable rate (SVR).
Therefore, you could pay more or less than £1,717 a year from next week based on your usage.
If you’re shopping for a new machine, consumer group Which? says choosing a more efficient washing machine could save up to £55 a year.
It might cost more upfront but you will spend less over the lifetime of the product.
