Energy guzzlers: what can you do about them?

01What are the energy guzzlers?

High energy consumption often has a clear cause, and that is energy guzzlers. But what are they actually? Energy guzzlers, also called energy hogs, are electrical appliances that need a lot of energy and therefore also consume a lot of electricity. You often think of large companies with enormous machines that consume a lot of energy, but this does not always have to be the case. Almost everyone has such an energy hog at home. Think, for example, of a large television, a tumble dryer or a dishwasher. Most households have such an appliance at home, and also need it for day-to-day life. So they are indispensable. Precisely for that reason, having a high energy bill can be a tricky problem to solve. The solution is not simply getting rid of the appliances that cost the most energy. But what can you do to deal with your energy guzzlers and lower your energy consumption?

What can you do about it?

As mentioned earlier, the problem of energy guzzlers is tricky to solve. It is no solution to simply get rid of the energy-guzzling appliances, because you often need them for the household. So there will have to be a solution in which the appliances can stay, but still cost less energy.

The advantage of most of these energy guzzlers is that you can decide yourself when they are on. A television, tumble dryer or dishwasher is not continuously busy consuming energy. This gives you some control over the energy consumption of these appliances. So always make sure that the appliances are only on when they really need to be on. Is nobody watching the television, but is a programme playing? Then switch the television off. Is the television screen perhaps on standby because you might want to watch a series later? This also consumes energy, so switch the television off completely to make sure you save electricity.

It is a bit trickier in the case of the dishwasher or tumble dryer. These appliances are not just on for fun, but actually perform a function. With these appliances, make sure they are not on for longer than necessary. The dishwasher or tumble dryer often has an energy-saving setting. This performs its function just as well, but does result in lower energy consumption. Try out these energy-saving settings! Often you notice little or no difference in the result. Also pay attention to when you use these appliances? Do you only have one T-shirt that needs drying, and is it not urgent? Then hang it up instead of throwing it in the dryer. Do you have some dishes, but not enough for a full dishwasher? Then quickly wash them by hand, and do not run the dishwasher unnecessarily for a small amount of dirty dishes.

Using less

There are also other ways to keep your energy consumption within limits, without immediately having to look at the energy guzzlers. Think, for example, of the lamps in your home. Do you always switch them off when you are not directly using them? Everyone sometimes leaves a lamp on when leaving the room. Try really hard to remember to actually switch the light off. It may seem a small share of your electricity consumption, but you can bet that added up over a year it can still cost quite a bit.

The tips for the dishwasher and the tumble dryer actually apply to all appliances in your home. Check carefully for each appliance whether you really only use it when you need it. Is the computer on while you are not working on it? Then switch it off. Do you run a wash in the washing machine while there are only a few towels in it that could also be washed at a later moment? Then save up your washing and do it at a later moment, when you can fill a whole washing machine. Are the chargers of your phone, laptop or iPad plugged into the socket and into the device, but is this not actually necessary? Then unplug the chargers and wait with charging until the battery really needs it.

Buying a more economical appliance

A final solution is buying energy-efficient and smart appliances. These are appliances that are made in such a way that they use little energy and therefore automatically save on your energy costs. When buying such an appliance, it is best to look at the energy labels. These labels are mandatory on every electrical appliance and give you information about the energy consumption of this appliance. That way you know exactly how energy-efficient or energy-guzzling the appliance is.

The energy labels are divided into different categories, which run from A up to and including G. An appliance with energy label A is the most economical, and an appliance with energy label G is the least economical. For fridges, freezers and washing machines, energy labels A can even be A++ or A+++. These energy labels are then even more economical than the ‘ordinary’ A.

When you buy an energy-efficient appliance, you can easily save several hundred euros a year on your energy bill. So this is very nice for your wallet. Of course this is also much better for the environment, so you are also being sustainable when you buy an energy-efficient appliance. Most new household appliances are energy-efficient. So choosing a sustainable and affordable option is made a bit easier for you. That way you will no longer face surprises when the energy bill lands on the doormat again.

Energy guzzlers: what do you do about them? - EnergieAanbieding.nl

Find out how you can tackle energy guzzlers in your home.