How much do your oven, washing machine and dishwasher cost to run? Top 10 household appliances with the highest annual running costs revealed – and fridge-freezer is the most expensive
- The cost of your household appliances could be costing you up to £700 a year
While the cost-of-living crisis continues to hammer down on consumer budgets, managing the usage of household appliances may be the key to tightening the belt.
When bills are rising, it might be easy to overlook the fact that a number of your household appliances could be contributing heavily.
From the relatively inexpensive microwave, to its pricey fridge-freezer counterpart, you may be surprised at just how much your appliances are costing you annually.
While the monthly costs of operating may go relatively under the radar for most households as the weeks roll on, by the end of the year, you may be looking at hundreds of pounds when added up.
MailOnline has used data from energy provider Boxt to find out which household appliance is costing you the most.
The fridge-freezer came out on the top of the table for the most expensive appliance, according to Boxt’s data
Unsurprisingly, the humble microwave oven ranks bottom, costing approximately 32p per use and just £30.84 annually if it’s used 96 times a year. This balances out at around three uses per day.
A gas hob may be at the front of someone’s mind when they think of expensive appliances, however the annual cost of using it 424 times a year is only £38.16, according to the data. This is the equivalent to 9p per use.
Using a dishwasher at 55C will cost approximately £40.02 a year if used on average of three times a day, meanwhile a washing machine just edges in front, costing an extra 6p a year if used 187 times.
While there isn’t much in the price difference of using both appliances across 12 months, the washing machine comes out cheaper per use, costing just 21p when compared to the 36p bill-payers will have to fork out for their dishwasher.
A kettle might be the most economical appliance found in the kitchen, with the average household using it around four times a day – which works out at 1542 times a year – the data shows that the cost of using it a year comes in at £57.67.
For extra-sparkling plates and dishes, a dishwasher used at a slightly warmer temperature of 65C is likely to cost a household and extra £16.08 (£66.10) per year.
A fridge-freezer was ranked at the top of list for expensive appliances
A kettle might be the most economical appliance in the kitchen, coming in at £57.67
Tips to save on gas and electricity
Use LED or other energy-efficient light bulbs
Using more energy-efficient bulbs in your home can make quite a difference in your energy bill.
Energy-efficient light bulbs use up to 70-80% less energy than traditional bulbs. This also means they last longer and are replaced less often.
Switching off lights in rooms that aren’t in use is also recommended.
Turning off plug sockets at the wall if they’re not being used
While this can be difficult to remember, it can certainly add up to save money.
Even keeping a TV on standby mode can add significant costs to a household’s energy bill.
Close your curtains in the evening to keep in heat when it’s cold
Making sure curtains are closed during the winter or evenings can ensure that any heat that remains in the house doesn’t escape.
Install a new boiler
For those that can afford to do so, installing a new boiler may be a great way to slash costs.
Having a more energy-efficient boiler can save households around £840 per year.
Wash clothes at a lower temperature
Washing your clothes on a ‘cold cycle’ can also help to keep costs down.
Even washing clothes at 30C, instead of the standard 40C, can save you up to £5 off a monthly energy bill.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, an electric oven when used 135 times a year is at the more expensive end of the spectrum, costing on average £71.66.
For households using an electric hob, they’re likely to incur a cost of an estimated £102.35 when used 424 times a year. The price per use of an electric hob is around 85p.
The fridge-freezer takes the crown for being the most expensive appliance in the average household kitchen – due to its constant use – costing approximately £138.72 per year.
According to the data, the total cost of all household appliances if used yearly (excluding a dishwasher used at 55C), comes in at a whopping £671.36 a year.
The figures come off the back of polling by MailOnline which revealed the extent to which families are economising in the face of high inflation, interest rates and energy bills.
More than half of Britons have been cutting back on food shopping as they struggle to make ends meet.
Almost all those quizzed by Redfield & Wilton Strategies admitted being hit by surging prices, with 43 per cent saying the impact had been ‘significant’.
Grocery spending has been deliberately reduced by 55 per cent of the public, and two-thirds of those who have changed habits said they had switched to value brands – while 40 per cent were simply buying less.
Half of the public has also trimmed their outlay on leisure activities, eating out and clothes in the past month.
Additionally, 41 per cent have ruled out taking a holiday either in the UK or abroad in the coming months.
Health chiefs have also recently warned that the impact of the cost of living crisis’s is fuelling a ‘second health emergency’ in three years after the Covid-19 pandemic pushed desperate families to the brink.
The constant increase of essential food and energy is having a significant impact on health, particularly on communities with existing higher levels of deprivation, the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) said.
But as the nation grapples with an out-of-hand cost of living crisis, those who were ‘just about managing’ now also need support, according to the organisations’ annual public health report.
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