By Bryan Wall
Product Test Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakamātautau Hautaonga
Looking for a washing machine, clothes dryer, dishwasher or fridge-freezer? Choosing one of these models could save you serious money.
Rising power prices mean the cost of running appliances is more significant than ever. We record an appliance’s energy consumption during our testing to give you a real-world idea of what it costs to run. Below, we’ve picked the models that combine energy efficiency with good performance, to help keep your power bill in check.
How appliances affect your power bill
Here’s how the least energy-efficient models we’ve tested compare to the models we recommend below.
Choosing a washing machine
The most energy-efficient washing machines in our test tend to be top loaders, but they don’t wash as well as front loaders, and there is a hidden cost if you are on metered water, as top loaders use a lot more water than front loaders do. You could easily pay an extra $250 a year in water rates in Auckland to use a top loader – for a front loader, this figure could be around $100 less.
Best energy-efficient washing machine
Choosing a clothes dryer
We often recommend vented clothes dryers, as they are quick to dry and the cheapest type to purchase. They can be expensive to run, but if you factor in the cheaper initial purchase price, the overall lifetime cost is still good. However, if you’re set on an energy-efficient dryer, look for a heat-pump model.
Best energy-efficient clothes dryer
Choosing a dishwasher
Dishwashers are a much more water-efficient way of cleaning your dishes – on average, households washing dishes by hand can use more than twice as much water as those with dishwashers. Improvements to energy efficiency mean they aren’t huge power drains, either, but if you use one every day, you can still make savings by choosing an energy-efficient model.
Best energy-efficient dishwashers
Choosing a fridge-freezer
A fridge-freezer is working 24/7, so small gains in efficiency can make quite a difference to your energy bill over its lifetime. How well a model performs is vital to its efficiency, too. If a fridge can’t keep temperatures stable or has trouble keeping up when room temperatures change or when warm food is added, it will use more energy on cooling down.
Best energy-efficient fridge-freezer
How much power do my appliances use?
We’ve estimated typical running costs for a range of heating, kitchen, lighting and general household appliances.
