With the fluctuations in energy prices, there are good chances that you may have considered switching energy suppliers so that you can get a better deal. This is especially crucial if you are currently on a fixed rate tariff. Remember that this tariff can sometimes be costly, so you can be paying more for your energy usage. Ideally, if you decide to switch energy suppliers through Utility Bidder, it’s important to choose the cheapest tariff available on the market. In this article, you will learn about how energy ratings work.
How energy rating works
Remember that all appliances need to have energy ratings written on them. This allows you to know how energy efficient that appliance is. In most cases, the rating system tends to be the same for all appliances. For example, they can have a G rating, meaning the appliance is extremely efficient. These ratings can go up to A while some appliances can have ratings that have A to A plus depending on the energy efficiency of the appliance.
Keep in mind that the A-plus ratings arise with the improvements in energy efficiency. Therefore, an appliance with only A rating is no longer considered to be a good when it comes to comparing it with the other most energy-efficient appliances. Regrading the rating system can make it harder to compare new appliances with older ones. This is the reason why they simply add more pluses to the As.
Measuring energy consumption for appliances
There is usually an energy rating certificate that comes with an annual kWh figure. Remember that this figure represents the average energy amount that your appliance can consume each year.
But different appliance manufacturers can come up with this figure using different assumptions. For instance, a fridge is partially filled, so its interior volume can be calculated by including various components like drawers and shelves as well as the fridge that is put in a room with 25 degrees Celsius. Then power of the fridge can then be calculated over a specific period to come up with the estimated figures.
You should know that it can be hard to measure some appliances yourself. This is because many appliances don’t use a consistent amount of energy over time. For instance, when a fridge reaches a certain temperature, the motors can switch off and you can monitor its temperature when it starts to rise. At this point, you will realize that the motors can switch on again.
Likewise, a washing machine can also use different energy amounts depending on the cycle it’s going through. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check the manual that the manufacturer offers. In this way, you can see the amount of energy that is consumed at various washing cycles with a single load. You can then multiply this figure with the number of times that you use the washing machine for a certain period to get a good picture of the energy usage.
Even better, there are also smart meters that have in-home displays, so you can use them to measure energy usage of any appliance. There are many suppliers on the market that offer these smart meters.
