Australians urged to ditch the ‘beer’ fridge as the real cost of common household appliances is revealed

Australians could save hundreds of dollars a year by making simple changes to how they use everyday household appliances.

Canstar data insights director Sally Tindall said the cost of using an appliance once might appear insignificant, but frequent use could quietly add hundreds of dollars to annual energy bills.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: How much your household appliances really cost to run

Boiling a litre of water in a Breville kettle, for example, costs just four cents, but doing it five times a day adds up to $73 a year.

Tindall said households could halve that cost by boiling only the amount needed, rather than filling the kettle to make a single cup of tea.

The kettle could even become a household’s “best friend” when cooking, with Australians encouraged to boil water in it before transferring it to a saucepan instead of using the stove to heat cold water.

A large 90cm oven can cost $1 or more for every hour it is switched on, while running an air fryer for 15 minutes costs just 11 cents.

Even if used every day, the air fryer would add only about $40 to the annual power bill.

Another potential drain may be hiding in the garage, with a spare “beer” fridge costing well over $100 a year to keep running.

A household’s main fridge costs about $113 annually and cannot be turned off to save money, making its efficiency particularly important.

Tindall recommended testing the door seal by closing it on an A4 sheet of paper. If the paper slips out, the seal may need to be cleaned or replaced to prevent cold air escaping.

Dishwashers can cost up to about 26 cents per cycle or $95 a year when used once a day.

Using a front-loading washing machine seven times a week with warm water costs about $71 annually, with households able to reduce the bill further by switching to cold cycles.

The clothes dryer is a much bigger expense. Using a vented dryer for just two loads a week costs about $172 a year, but a shift to a heat pump model brings that down to just $73.