my washing machine in a week will use more on standby than a 60 degree 60min full wash and its less than 3 year old
This like my Sky box is an eye opener. However in the main we switch on a washing machine and leave it. We take out the cloths at our leisure and for what it uses on stand by I would not be popping into the kitchen every 5 minutes to check.
I would say re-chargeable batteries are the largest waste of power in my house. I charge them ready, then don't use them, then find them flat, then charge the ready.
After doing careful measurements with the fridge/freezer I looked to the washing machine. It has a host of programs and I am sure each one has a different power requirement. But the machine weighs the load so unless I was to wash the same things with every cycle near impossible to work out costs. And if I do will it make any difference?
Best money saving appliance is the car port. One can put out the washing it dries in the wind but does not get wet when it rains. I really miss the car port. Garage is no where near as good just gets filled with junk.
But we all know where the money goes. My wife fills the tumble drier and I say "Ha do you realise how much that costs?" answer is yes 3 units at 14p each that's 42p if you think I am hanging out the cloths to save 42p you have another think coming.
She is of course right she's bigger than me. So also points out how much it costs in washing tablets and washing machine costs to re-wash anything which gets dirty on the line and my bird feeders do not help.
In the main we don't need energy meters. My tumble drier is plainly marked 1 kW low power 2 kW high power and 0 - 90 minutes on timer. OK some people have cleaver ones which measure the humidity of the load and auto stop. But hang on 42p a load how many loads will it need to pay for that technology? Plus mother has it on her washer/drier and the amount of times I have to switch it back on the drying cycle I have lost count.
As to the cost of the tumble drier pumping outside my centrally heated air that is something else. Never mind the fact we have an open flue fire.
To buy replacement energy efficient equipment when the old one fails OK. But to change equipment that's something else. My boiler is over 25 years old and going strong. Mothers last boiler lasted 7 years, Sons lasted 5 years, daughters lasted 8 years, why the heck should I get rid of such a reliable unit? We are not only talking about the £500 for new boiler but also the weeks in the cold before it was renewed.
It's simple if not broken then don't fix it!