Major appliance tips
Purchasing new appliances
Want to save power and money, while also reducing your environmental impact? Look for the ENERGY STAR® logo when buying new appliances to guarantee they’ll be energy-efficient.
Another bonus: you don’t have to pay the PST when you buy an ENERGY STAR® qualified dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer or washing machine in Saskatchewan.
Try these power-saving tips and see how much you’ll save
Refrigerator
A fridge that is older than 15 years costs over $100 a year to operate, while a new ENERGY STAR® qualified fridge costs less than $50 a year to operate.
- If it's running close to empty, unplug that old second fridge and save over $100 a year on your power bill.
- To keep just a few refreshments or food items cold, consider using a mini fridge. A mini fridge uses about $30 a year in electricity.
- Ensure that the refrigerator's seals are clean and tight. If you feel cold air leaking out, then you're losing electricity. Replace the seal and save power.
- Set your refrigerator's temperature to mid-range (3°C or 38°F) to optimize your power savings while still keeping your food cold.
- Locate freezers and refrigerators away from direct sunlight and other heat sources like a radiator, washer and dryer, furnace, heating vent or direct sunlight.
- Let food cool before placing it in the fridge or freezer.
- Organize food to allow air to circulate around items.
- Defrost food from the freezer inside of your fridge. This will help your fridge remain at a cool temperature without cycling on (using electricity) as often.
- Turn on the power saver (condensation or energy switch), unless you see moisture forming on the outside of the fridge.
Freezer
Save at least $67 a year by replacing your freezer that’s over 15 years old with a new ENERGY STAR® qualified deep freeze. Over its lifetime, your freezer could more than pay for itself in power savings.
- Keep your freezer out of a cold garage or basement. The room temperature needs to be over 7°C (45°F) for it to work properly.
- A full freezer runs more efficiently than an empty one. The items inside of your freezer help hold the cold inside and keep your freezer from working as hard. If your freezer isn’t full, put a large container of water into the freezer.
- Allow at least 5 cm (2") of space around the outside of your freezer for proper air circulation.
- Defrost manual-defrost freezers regularly. The more frost there is, the harder your freezer has to work to keep food frozen. Half a centimetre of frost is too much.
Dishwasher
Run your dishwasher only when it's full. You'll save $25 a year running full loads instead of twice as many half-loads.
- If there's an air-dry option on your dishwasher, use it. If not, stop the machine before the drying cycle begins and open the door to let dishes air dry for free.
- Load dishes according to manufacturer's instructions to allow proper water circulation.
- Don't pre-rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. You'll save on water heating costs.
- Help your dishwasher run more efficiently by keeping the drains and filters clean.
Stove
Consider using your microwave instead of your stove. A microwave uses 84 per cent less electricity than a stove to cook the same amount of food.
- Use smaller cooking appliances instead of your stove or oven when possible. Microwaves, toaster ovens, crock pots, electric frying pans and other small appliances use less electricity.
- Let air circulate freely in your oven. Don't cover racks with foil. Stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve airflow. Food will cook more quickly and efficiently.
- Preheat your oven only when necessary.
- Don't open the oven door to check on food. Each time you do, the oven temperature drops by 14°C (25°F). Look through the window, watch the clock or use a timer instead.
- Make sure the oven door gasket is tight. Adjust or replace gaskets as required.
Washer and dryer
Wash your clothes with cold water and save up to $56 a year. About 85 – 90 per cent of the energy used by washing machines comes from heating the water.
- Front-loading washing machines use about half the water per load as top-loading washing machines and are more effective at squeezing water out of the clothes, which reduces drying time.
- Level your clothes washer. If the machine is not level, the motor works harder, using more energy and wearing out parts before their time.
- Wash light garments in the delicate cycle to use less electricity and help your clothes last longer.
- Dry your laundry on a clothes line or drying rack instead of throwing it into the dryer. In a year, you could save over $100 on your power bill.
- If you still want to use your dryer, keep it in a warm and dry room. Your dryer will be less efficient in a cold or damp room (such as a garage) and will take longer to dry your clothes.
- If you normally throw half loads of laundry in the dryer, consider drying full loads instead. You can save about $35 per year.
- Dry one load immediately after another while the dryer is still hot.
- Use the auto-dry function to keep your clothes from drying too long.
Want to recycle an old appliance? Contact the following locations for information about recycling costs and requirements.
In Regina take your old appliances to:
- Regina sanitary landfill - Fleet Street, north of McDonald Street (777-7690)
In Saskatoon take your old appliances to:
- Saskatoon sanitary landfill - Dundonald Avenue (975-2486)
For recycling options in other areas of the province, check with your local municipality or the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council.
Remember: Fridge and freezer doors should be tied shut, locked or removed completely before disposal. Since these appliances are airtight, anyone who gets trapped inside could suffocate
Shopping Guide
When shopping for new appliances, choose ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR® logo. Of these, pick the ones with the best EnerGuide ratings. Use the ENERGY STAR® and EnerGuide labels to help you make the smartest, most energy-efficient selections possible.
Appliances have to meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines to qualify for the ENERGY STAR® logo.
Only the most efficient products on the market are approved to use the ENERGY STAR® label.
Natural Resources Canada uses the EnerGuide label to show how much energy appliances use during a year of normal service. This label, which is required by law to be displayed on major appliances, makes it easy to compare the energy efficiency of each model to others of the same size and class.
