An energy boss has named three household appliances that are among the most energy-intensive in the home, as Britons continue to face costly bills. Carl Hogg, Managing Director of UK-based Good Energy's services business, said tumble dryers, dishwashers and older refrigeration units are "often among the biggest contributors to household electricity consumption because they either generate heat or run continuously".
How to cut appliance energy use
Mr Hogg said the most effective way to reduce their impact is "to use them more efficiently, and ultimately to power them with clean electricity". Other ways to cut consumption include running washing machines and dishwashers on eco settings, "air-drying clothes where possible, and replacing older appliances with more efficient models", he added.
"Households can go even further by installing solar panels to generate their own electricity and by shifting appliance use to times when renewable power is abundant on the grid," Mr Hogg said.
Whole-home approach
While small changes can make a difference over the long term, he said the biggest savings "often come from taking a whole-home approach". "Combining rooftop solar with a battery allows households to generate and store their own electricity, reducing the amount they need to buy from the grid and protecting themselves from future energy price volatility," Mr Hogg said. "This way you are cutting bills, increasing energy independence and reducing carbon emissions at the same time."
Ofgem price cap rise
The comments come as the regulator announced on Wednesday a 4% increase of the energy price cap for the period covering October 1 to December 31, 2026. Ofgem explains that the cap "protects around 22 million households on default tariffs by limiting the maximum rates and standing charges that energy suppliers can charge" and is "updated every three months to reflect changes in the underlying costs of supplying energy".
The current price cap for a typical household paying by direct debit for gas and electricity is £1,663. Based on the energy use of a typical domestic household, from October the cap will rise by £60 per year (or £5 per month) to £1,723 for the average household using both electricity and gas if this level was sustained for a year. Approximately 35% of households are on fixed tariffs and won't be affected by the increase.
Ofgem says the October rise "reflects higher wholesale gas prices as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with volatile global gas markets remaining the dominant driver of price changes". However, prices remain 52% below the height of the energy crisis in 2022 when the government stepped in to cap bills at £2,500.
