5 Top Eco Friendly home appliances

Saving the environments can start right at our homes if we use the right appliances which do not pollute or are energy efficient. Wastage of electricity, and using appliances which release harmful pollutants into the atmosphere or are made up of toxic materials, are some of the things which can be controlled to benefit the environment.

Why do we need to use eco-friendly appliances?

Apart from an environmental point of view, there is also an economic side to using energy efficient appliances. In addition to consuming 10-20% lesser energy, they reduce your electricity bill as well. So, using an eco-friendly appliance will be good for the environment and your wallet.

Home appliances which can be eco-friendly

1. Refrigerator

A normal refrigerator without an energy star rating or a low rating will be very energy inefficient. This is not desirable and most modern refrigerators have a higher star rating which makes them very energy-efficient.

The refrigerant coolant fluid can contain Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which play a major role in depleting the ozone layer. Hence it is better to use modern refrigerators which do not use these harmful coolants. 

2. Air Conditioner

The air conditioners which we use in our homes typically run for the entire time we are at home. If there is an AC in every room and the occupant of the house is in some other room, there are smart ACs which sense the absence of a human being and power off accordingly. This sort of smart technology implementation can prevent power wastage by keeping the AC on only when required.

3. Television

The bulky old CRT televisions have significantly higher power consumption when compared to a modern LED-backlit LCD TV of the same screen size. If you have one of those older TVs, it is better to upgrade and notice your bills drop. The table below gives a comparison of power consumed by different types of TVs.

Screen Size	LED	LCD	CRT	Plasma
15 inches	15	18	65	---
17 inches	18	20	75	---
19 inches	20	22	80	---
20 inches	24	26	90	---
21 inches	26	30	100	---
22 inches	30	40	110	---
24 inches	40	50	120	---
30 inches	50	60	---	150
32 inches	55	70	---	160
37 inches	60	80	---	180
42 inches	80	120	---	220
50 inches	100	150	---	300

 

4. Washing Machines

Energy star ratings on a washing machine play a major role in increasing their efficiency. Some washing machines make use of steam wash, which requires comparatively little water. The steam also heats up the wash drum, thereby reducing the need to heat it externally for a hot wash.

In a few washing machines, the power consumption is reduced by spinning wet clothes after wash cycle itself, so that there is no need to put them through a drying cycle again.

5. Cooking Appliances

Modern day kitchens are equipped with either gas-based or electric cooktops. An electric cook top may seem like it is more eco-friendly, but if its source of electricity is non-renewable and located far away, the transmission losses and pollution make it a less attractive option. Gas cooktops are more energy efficient, but they release carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide as a byproduct. These gases are less polluting than a coal-burning power source for an electric cooktop.