It’s no surprise that washing machines and dishwashers are the most energy-intensive appliances in your house. Washing cycles take hours to complete and must heat up lots of water in the process. According to the Energy Saving Trust, nearly 10% of total household energy use is from the washing machine alone.
The first thing that you can do is reduce both the cycle length and its temperature. All new washing machines require a 30°C setting by the EU. Furthermore, there is normally an hour-long cycle available that saves energy. Summing these up reduces energy use by an average of 57% - equivalent to £ 18 and 36 kg CO2.
Another easy way to save energy is to reduce the number of washes. If you’ve got a half load, ask your housemates if they need anything washed. Reducing the total number of washes the house does by 2 per week saves £ 7 per year. Similarly, using the dishwasher once less every week can save £ 8 a year.
Doing everything totals to £ 33 a year and 66 kg CO2 per person. If all students at UoB did this, 1,000 tonnes of CO2 would be avoided.
