Thousands of different appliances have been analysed and rated, to find out the good, the bad, and those in between.
The aim is to save households in Australia hundreds of dollars every year in their power bills.
Choice's labs are testing everything from lights to TVs, dishwashers to washing machines and dryers.
More stories from Today TonightAppliances can be huge energy savers, or complete energy wasters. A five or six star rating, compared with two stars, and efficient versus inefficient designs, can make a difference of many hundreds of dollars each year.
Choice calls it the Ten Per Cent Challenge - and hope that the test results will help householders and businesses understand appliances better, choose their purchases more wisely, and make other changes to save at least ten per cent on their bills.
According to Choice, the new LEDs and LCDs are far more energy efficient.
“Not using your dryer, but using the good old Hills Hoist, you can save $150 a year,” said Choice's Ingrid Just.
“Boiling a full kettle uses the same amount of energy as powering a fridge for four hours. So make sure there are plenty of people around to enjoy that cup of tea, to make that kettle boil is worth it. Washing in cold water, you can save 90 per cent on your energy bill,” she explained.For Ingrid, there are two questions you should ask when considering washing machines. What is the energy star rating? And does it have any eco features?
Renovating his old house, John Hayes is making sure everything he's swapped to is a power saver.
“We've opened up the back to the east, and also opened up to the north, so therefore we don't need air conditioning,” said John.
Energy auditor, Ian Wilcox, is monitoring John's power consumption, which he's got down to half the average household's usage.
According to Ian, hot water makes up around one third of the average bill.
“It's best to turn it down. Anything more than 60 degrees is a waste of energy, and it could potentially save $100 a year,” said Ian.When it comes to lights, the tip is to get rid of costly incandescent fixtures.
"If you have got ten of those in your house, and you are running those at about five hours a day, 365 days a year, that could be about $270 of electricity that you are using," said Ingrid. "Compare that to the equivalent 15W CFL, and you are paying only around $55 for the same amount of lighting for ten lights. That is a saving of well over $200 per year."“Saving energy also (means) savings in the back pocket,” said John.
- Energy Auditor - Ian Wilcox
Phone 02 4021 1019
www.home-energy-savings-advice.com
- CHOICE
Choice's 10 per cent challenge
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