Little changes, like swapping your appliances for eco-friendly alternatives, can make a huge difference in your energy bill and carbon footprint. For example, a 4-quart air fryer uses around 1,500 watts of energy, which costs about 25 cents per hour to run based on New York electricity prices. This is 50% more efficient than using a traditional full-size electric oven. So, this simple swap is an excellent option for the environment and your wallet.
Read on to learn about some of the most eco-friendly appliances for your home and how you can integrate them into your day-to-day life.
Biggest Benefits of Switching to Eco-Friendly Home Appliances
It can be daunting to make the big switch and purchase new appliances, especially when you may be looking at investing hundreds or thousands of dollars into this purchase. If you’re feeling hesitant, consider these enormous benefits of switching to eco-friendly appliances:
- Eco-friendly appliances can reduce your water usage. Appliances like washing machines and dishwashers can quickly waste water if they aren’t eco-friendly, energy-efficient models. Check for third-party certifications, like WaterSense, that measure water efficiency for these appliances.
- You can save money. Most energy-saving appliances use less energy and possibly less water depending on the appliance, saving you money on your water and utility bills. Some of these appliances may cost more upfront, but the investment in saving on energy bills in the long run often makes up for this.
- Eco-friendly appliances can save you time. Certain appliances, like air fryers, also cook food faster than a traditional oven, saving you time, money, and energy usage in the process.
- Sustainable appliances lessen your energy consumption. Energy-efficient gadgets may reduce your energy usage by up to 50 percent, particularly if you’re replacing an old, energy-inefficient appliance. When browsing for energy-efficient appliances, look for ENERGY STAR-certified products.
The Most Eco-Friendly Appliances for Your Home
Electric Kettle
Electric kettles are an excellent choice for saving energy, especially kettles with an automatic switch-off feature when your water hits the desired temperature. Rather than boiling water in a pot, consider upgrading to an electric kettle that will boil only the water you need until you hit the set temperature.
Blender
Blenders are a great alternative to large food processors that consume much more energy. They also allow you to process your ingredients until they reach the desired consistency.
Look for energy-efficient blenders with settings that will stop the blender as soon as your ingredients are pureed enough to cut down on excessive energy consumption.
Toaster
Many toasters have overly long bread slots, which can waste energy if your bread isn’t long enough to fill the slot. Shop for toasters that are energy-efficient and don’t have overly long bread slots.
We also recommend sticking to toasters with only one or two bread slice slots unless you have a big family and regularly make large batches of toast. A temperature control feature can help reduce energy consumption and ensure you’re not scorching your toast.
Electric Composter
An electric composter is the ultimate eco-friendly appliance because it transforms wasted product into a fantastic, usable product, saving you money and our landfills from more trash.
An electric composter takes food scraps and transforms them into nutrient-rich dirt with the push of a button. Consider purchasing an electric composter to transform kitchen scraps into usable natural fertilizer for your garden or houseplants.
Rice Cooker
Rice cookers are great time-savers that ensure you don’t overcook your rice. They are great “set it and forget it” devices that use less energy than boiling water and cooking your rice on a stovetop.
Look for a rice cooker with a stainless steel bowl, as Teflon bowls often contain harmful chemicals. For the most energy-efficient choice, opt for a model that is just large enough to feed your family.
Air Fryer
An air fryer is the ultimate eco-friendly household appliance. Not only can it replace multiple appliances in your house, such as a toaster and deep fryer, but you can use it in place of your oven for many meals.
Ovens use an enormous amount of energy to preheat and cook your food. In addition to the energy used to heat the oven, the oven often raises the temperature in your home, forcing your air conditioner to work extra hard to maintain the same temperature, wasting even more energy.
An air fryer often doesn’t even need to be preheated, and when it does need to be preheated, it often takes only a few minutes. You can bake cookies, fry veggies or pickles, and even create stunning desserts, like lava cakes, with your air fryer — all while using far less energy than your oven. This versatile device is an excellent addition to any kitchen. If possible, look for an energy-efficient model and opt for an air fryer that is large enough to feed your family but not overly big.
Induction Cooktop
Induction cooktops use electromagnetic induction heat, so food is only heated up when pots are placed directly on top of the cooktop. In the long run, this can save energy and natural gas.
Look for induction cooktops with an easy-to-control cooking temperature and an auto-switch mode that ensures you’re not using more energy than needed. The auto-switch mode will save you energy and keep your food from overcooking.
Coffee Maker
The convenience of a Keurig or single-use coffee pod maker is hard to beat. However, these individual plastic coffee pods are terrible for the environment as you can only use them once before they are tossed into landfills.
If possible, choose a manual coffee maker that is energy-efficient.
If you must stick with your Keurig or single-use coffee pod maker, consider investing in a reusable coffee pod and filling it with your own loose coffee. A reusable coffee pod can be washed and reused hundreds, even thousands of times before needing to be replaced, dramatically reducing the overall waste.
Dishwasher
An energy-efficient dishwasher is crucial in transforming your household into a more eco-friendly place. A dishwasher is one of the most frequently used household appliances, and it can waste a lot of water if it isn’t an efficient model.
Look for dishwashers with a WaterSense third-party label, which indicates that the appliance has passed an independent inspection and certification by the EPA WaterSense committee for its performance and efficiency.
In addition to looking for an eco-friendly model, take steps to ensure you’re optimizing your dishwasher usage. Only run your dishwasher when it’s completely full. Skip dishwasher detergent pods and opt for a liquid dishwasher detergent. If you want to stick with dishwasher detergent pods, look for non-toxic, environmentally friendly choices. Finally, choose to skip or reduce drying time during your dishwasher cycle. Drying actually uses much more energy than using the dishwasher to wash your dishes. Often, your dishes will dry sitting there on their own, or they can be dried quickly with a towel as you pull them out.
Refrigerators
Fridges are one of the most energy-consuming appliances in your home. If you’re just starting to convert your home into an energy-efficient haven, consider starting with your fridge if it’s not an eco-friendly, energy-efficient model because it’s likely one of the biggest drains in your home.
Shop for an Energy Star labeled model. Many of these models are smaller. However, smart organization within your fridge will leave you plenty of storage space. If you currently have more than one fridge or freezer in your home, you can reduce your energy consumption by downsizing to one model or choosing a small freezer or efficient refrigerator instead of a second, full-size model.
Washer and Electric Dryer
The average American does 300 loads of laundry annually, using a surprising amount of energy and water consumption. Next to your fridge and dishwasher, your washer and dryer are the next biggest investments you should consider making if you don’t already have energy-efficient models.
An Energy Star-rated laundry machine will use less water and energy, saving you money and the environment in one swoop.
We also recommend using your dryer less and switching to wool or plastic dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. Hanging your clothes on a clothesline can take up some room, but it’s an easy way to dry your clothes and may even be better for the fabric in the long term, allowing your clothing to last longer and look better. Dryer balls are another great environmentally friendly choice because they reduce wasteful dryer sheets and decrease how much trash you’re adding to landfills. Many dryer sheets are made from toxic chemicals, which can harm your kids or pets if they eat them and may irritate your skin when you’re wearing clothes that came into contact with them.
A SodaStream
Do you love soda or carbonated beverages? A SodaStream is an excellent, eco-friendly kitchen appliance that takes up little space in the kitchen while providing you with delicious drinks.
A SodaStream will not only save you a significant amount of money because you won’t need to purchase drinks at the store anymore, but it will dramatically reduce plastic bottles and aluminum cans in your household, reducing your carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
Space Heater
A space heater can double as a heater and a fan in most cases. Space heaters are an eco-friendly alternative to cranking up the heat or air conditioning in your home. Most of us aren’t using all areas of our homes at all times, so heating or cooling just the space you’re in is a great option.
On top of that, many energy-saving space heaters have thermostats and sleep timers, preventing the heater from running after the room has reached the desired temperature.
Final Thoughts
Energy-efficient, eco-friendly home appliances are great for the environment and reducing energy consumption and water usage in our homes. We hope our list of the most eco-friendly appliances for your home helps you decide which appliances to consider next as you continue to work toward a more green home.
