Appliances

The more efficient and better built that homes become, the more noticeable the amount of energy that your cooker/stove, refrigerator, dishwater and laundry appliances consume. Modeling a house to the PassiveHaus standard, these essentially govern the pass/fail. Luckily huge strides have been made in reducing the energy (and water) that these consume.

https://passivehouse.com/ A gold standard in energy efficiency.

Governments are often good at making sure that the least efficient appliances are made obsolete by setting minimum performance standards. When you replace an appliance, look for your local standard and buy the best that you can.

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/products/categories/appliances/13630 - link to Canadian government appliance standards.

Energy Performance Ratings

Major Appliances

A front-loading machine uses 1/3 of the water and ½ of the electricity of a top-loader. More than that, they spin so much faster that much more water is removed, meaning that if you use a clothes dryer it will also use less energy.

Following is a US government water efficient products link.

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-products -

Washing Machines

Clothes Dryer

Get them up on a line outside. If it’s damp or cold, try drying them inside on a rack. Drying outside makes for fresher-smelling, crisper clothes and is not a show of poverty! Banning laundry drying in some communities is a real sign of a world gone mad. If you insist on one, use a heat pump dryer where waste energy from the humid dryer exhaust is recovered.

Refrigerators and Freezers

A chest freezer is always more efficient than a stand up one for the obvious reason – the cold air doesn’t all ‘fall out’ when you open the door..... cold air is denser than warm air and so that is what happens.

Food – well be careful, but does the ketchup really need to be in the fridge when it is already preserved in vinegar? Not every jar or bottle needs to be in there. Less food inside means you can use a smaller fridge that of course uses less energy.