15 September 2008

Have you sussed how to beat the ELECTRICITY PRICE HIKE?

As the increase in our energy bills looms closer, how could you cut your electricity bills by more than the price hikes?  Simply by investing in the most energy efficient electrical goods you can find and replacing those old inefficient ones – such as washing machines, tumble dryers, fridges and freezers.

Take your washing machine for example. If it’s over 5 years old it could be consuming over a third more power than the best energy efficient models available today, as the old C & D energy rated machines were phased out in 2003. So, if your current washing machine is D rated (1.34 kWh per cycle) you’re going to be quids in if you upgraded today, which could help offset the massive electricity price increases. 
 
So it makes sense to upgrade – but how do you spot the really efficient washing machines, when they are all listed as ‘A’ rated in the superstores?

Sust-it’s energy saving website has made this easier by taking the manufacturers energy usage figures and dividing this by the drum capacity – thereby giving you the price of electricity used per kg of washing. This will help consumers make a more informed energy saving purchasing decision. Water consumption figures have also been taken into account when ranking the machines. It certainly makes spotting the real efficiency winners easier, when you want to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. For example, the Zanussi ZT1012 costs 3.629p per kg of washing, compared to the Servis M6854W at 2.265p per kg of washing – that’s over £22.44 a year less to run!

By using sust-it’s energy consumption website that ranks electricals by their energy efficiency, you can spot those appliances that contribute to your inflated electricity bills and CO2 emissions.

The sust-it site is constantly updated and contains a wide range of products from TVs to chest freezers. You can even switch between electricity tariffs so you can see what other energy providers have in-store and calculate your CO2 emissions at the same time.