In 2020, it's imperative that almost every aspect of our lives—from what we eat to what we wear—be aligned towards one common goal: sustainability. And the same applies to what we use to make our lives convenient as well. Sure, our home appliances play a huge role in making our lives easier, but they also come at the cost of significant energy consumption if used improperly. Thankfully, reducing the environmental impact of our favoured appliances is not all that difficult. Ahead, we list out some easy ways to make sustainable choices when shopping for your home appliances.

Pick the right capacity and power

When buying appliances for your home, especially large appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators, it is important to choose the right capacity for your requirements. Picking a larger capacity appliance will result in unnecessarily higher energy consumption (and probably a heftier power bill), and can easily be avoided.

Choose appliances with higher energy efficiency

Check for the BEE rating whenever you’re buying an appliance that is qualified for one. Pick those with a higher rating, preferably 4 or 5 stars. While it might seem like a higher cost at the start, it will reduce your environmental impact and the cost of your energy bills in the long run, thus saving you much more than you initially spent.

Opt for smart appliances and smart plugs

Picking smart appliances or smart plugs for your appliances allows you to control your devices remotely. This ensures that you can turn off the devices when not in use, and schedule them to operate according to your usage. Some even provide you with an analysis of the power usage, which can help you optimise your consumption.

Use refrigerators and air conditioners with sustainable refrigerants

When it comes to cooling appliances, one of the most significant things you can do is to pick an eco-friendly refrigerant. Conventional refrigerants use CFC, which aggravates the greenhouse effect. Alternatives like R32 not only reduce this impact, but are also more efficient with energy consumption. AC and refrigerator companies have multiple models in the market that use R32 refrigerant, so make sure you look out for it.

Optimise energy use by using appliances with inverter compressors

The compressor in typical cooling appliances works either at full power or at zero power. However, inverter compressors adjust the power consumption according to the cooling required. This leads to greater energy efficiency and more sustainable power consumption.
  Like this story? Also read: How your appliances are keeping you healthy Image courtesy: Shutterstock