AMDEA has urged households to embrace a “little knowledge” to make simple changes to the way they use their home appliances.
This follows a new YouGov survey underlining that two-thirds of people, 68 per cent, said they are keen to save energy to help net zero efforts and reduce their carbon footprint.
AMDEA CEO, Paul Hide, added: “Many people don’t really treat their appliances as they might. Once fitted, the appliances are often forgotten about, regarded as self-supporting. But they are machines that benefit from small acts of care. So, by thinking about how appliances are used and giving them a little attention, households can save themselves money by using less energy and extending the lifespan of valuable assets.
“Why not stick a note on a washing machine to always use eco-mode or have a quarterly descale schedule? These are not grand life changes: a minimal effort can save a lot – and help the environment.”
The YouGov survey found that 40 per cent of participants had made no changes to the way they used their appliances to save money since September last year, when energy prices hit their peak.
It also found that 57 per cent, who did make changes, found the changes they made to be successful and 53 per cent who made changes had used the eco setting on their washing machines, and 32 per cent said they had used it on their dishwasher.
A new campaign from AMDEA follows the recommendations of an in-home study conducted in seven homes over three months by the UKRI CE-Hub, University of Exeter Business School.
Professor Fiona Charnley, Professor of Circular Innovation and Co-Director, Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy, University of Exeter, said: “The study gave participants the chance to learn about small changes they can make to their daily routines and the impact they can have on extending the life of their appliances and reducing their household bills. We found that once they were provided with the evidence, they were quick to change their behaviour.”
AMDEA suggested that possible cash savings could include:
- Consumers can save £600 by cleaning lime-scale from washing and coffee machines, kettles and irons.
- Maintenance of alliances could save consumers £100, ignoring an unusual noise coming from your appliance could become a more costly problem.
- Running a heat pump dryer instead of a condenser tumbler could save £100.
- £40 by choosing C over F energy rating when replacing refrigeration appliances and £70 can be saved a year after replacing old fridge freezers.
The average household bill is set to be just under £2,000 for the next three months, not only will consumers be saving money but they will also be contributing to reducing their carbon footprint.
