Going green…

With politicians procrastinating to pass climate deals, and airport runways popping up faster than Sir Alan fires apprentice wannabes, it’s up to us to prevent the Earth from exploding a la Superman’s home planet Krypton. Put the monetary crisis to one side for a minute. The real, long-term problem here is the state of the environment.

Gadgets aren’t without their blame. Yes, we’ve long championed them as a way of improving your lifestyle, and that’s still true, but we the consumer (and indeed the manufacturer and retailer) have a responsibility to create, use and re-use our technology responsibly.

Now, more than ever, manufacturers are producing gadgets with an ecological twist (we saw a number of eco-friendly tellies at this year’s CES, not to mention the odd tree-hugging phones at Mobile World Congress), but for each eco-friendly gizmo, there are hundreds of energy-draining bits of kit already in your home, from the Freeview box under your telly and your washing machine, to the fridge in your kitchen.

It may be impossible to completely eliminate the results of using your gadgets daily, but you can minimize the energy waste you may incur using a number of methods. In the first of an ongoing series of features, we take a look at how you can make sure that you are getting the most energy-efficient use from your tech, and in the process help keep the Earth as was intended. First up, refrigerators, freezers and fridge freezers….

Energy-saving tips
1 It’s always advisable to plan green when buying. Keep a look out for the energy rating of your appliance. Not only will this ultimately help the planet, but you’ll end up saving money in the long run.
2 This may sound obvious, but don’t leave the door to your cool box open for longer than is necessary.
3 Try to keep freezers well stocked, packing the empty spaces with old newspapers in a plastic bag
4 Keep your fridge/freezer away from direct sunlight, radiators and boilers, or any source of heat. Likewise, try to avoid areas with high humidity or dust.
5 Take care of your appliance’s insides. Do not block or cover ventilation areas of your electronics, as this could cause overheating, which could shorten your product’s life.

Recycling your fridge…
Modern fridges and fridge freezers use over 60 per cent less energy than a typical ten-year-old appliance, saving around £39 and 142kg of Carbon Dioxide a year for a fridge freezer and £13 and 48kg of CO2 for a fridge. But don’t just dump your old fridge or freezer when upgrading. Most companies nowadays have a policy that includes picking up your old refrigerator (or large appliance) when delivering your new one. Which is handy, given that in the UK alone we throw away around 1.2 million tons of electrical items a year. Thanks to government regulations (the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations) that came into force in 2007, though, companies are now encouraged to collect and recycle old electrical products. Here are three examples of how such companies work:

Currys
Currys offers free in store take back, even if the equipment wasn’t purchased at Currys. They will also collect old large kitchen appliances or TVs (37″ or above) when delivering your new one. Smaller items can not be removed upon delivery of new goods, but these can be taken into the store. Products are then sent to Curry’s recycling centre, where around 85 per cent of the materials are recycled.

John Lewis
Unlike Currys, John Lewis doesn’t accept old appliances back in-store, instead opting to contribute to the funding of an alternative network of recycling points through Distributor Take Back Scheme. You can find out where your nearest recycling bank is at recycle-more.co.uk. John Lewis will, however, offer collection services for large white electrical goods for a small fee.

Comet
Comet has helped develop and upgrade Designated Collection Facilities around the UK. However, Comet also has a Scrap Product Collection Service that, for a fee of £7.34, will take away and recycle your old large product after delivering your new one. Comet will even pick up your larger appliances if you aren’t purchasing one from them, but this will cost more.

The Insider’s top three energy-efficient fridge-freezers…

Liebherr CUP2721
This upright refrigerator has enough space to store enough food for a Catholic family, but still remain energy-friendly thanks to its A+ rating and 254l gross capacity (200l for the fridge and 54l for the freezer). Design leaves a lot to be desired, but it does have reversible doors and a price of around 300 smackers.


Smeg FAB40P
Another A+ rating here, but this time you also get all the snazzy styling from the 1950s and a whopping 400l gross capacity. But once again it’s the energy factor we’re interested in, and this only uses 314 kW/h per year. And at nearly £1,300, it wants to be energy efficient!


Siemens KG33NA90
The Siemens KG33NA90 has a 258l gross capacity, an A+ energy rating and a snazzy aluminium styling. As well as a dynamic cooling system, it also has a fast freeze function and a frost-free facility to prevent excessive frost build-up. All for around £600.

For more information on how to make your home more energy efficient head to the Energy Saving Trust and check out PriceRunner’s Energy Saving Trust recommended products

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