2022.10.25

Use the product calculation or calculate it yourself - this is how much the appliances cost per year

The white goods in our homes are something we would find it difficult to do without. Not many people want to live without, for example, a fridge/freezer, dishwasher and washing machine. Right now there is a lot of focus on energy consumption, tips and advice on how we can save both electricity and money, but how much it costs us to use the three mentioned white goods is rarely written, which is why APPLiA is here to find out.

The usual procedure is that we replace our appliances either when they break down – often after long and faithful service – or when we renovate our homes. However, with electricity prices having increased dramatically recently, and likely to remain at a high level for the foreseeable future, it may be wise to replace one or more appliances in your home this fall.

Most people know that it is smart to choose a product with energy label A, but few know how many kronor can be saved annually if a product with class F is replaced with an equivalent with class A.

Product calculation from the Swedish Energy Agency

This summer, the Swedish Energy Agency launched Product calculation, a tool for comparing products and thus being able to make more conscious and informed choices. Among the products that can be compared are dishwashers, washing machines and combined washer-dryers, refrigerators and freezers, and wine coolers.

You can search by brand or product name or by scanning the QR code on the label. There is also a calculation model to see if a cheap model is really cheaper by analyzing product data and calculating the operating cost. The product calculation was developed within the EU project Label 2020 and uses data from the product database, EPREL.

In the product calculation, you can enter the electricity and water costs yourself, as well as usage patterns and expected lifespan for the product. The total cost is then calculated. If you do not enter anything yourself, the default price for electricity is used, which according to Statistics Sweden was 175 öre/kWh on average in Sweden in 2021.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that the total electricity cost, which the calculation does not fully take into account, has a major impact on the outcome of the product calculation.

As an example, in September 2022, the undersigned had an electricity price of 240 öre/kWh and in addition to that, there is 6 öre/kWh in spot surcharge, 1.4 öre in electricity certificate cost, 62 öre in VAT, 49.5 öre in electricity network fee and 45 öre in energy tax, which means that the total price (excluding fixed costs) was 404 öre/kWh.

Annual cost of a fridge/freezer

If you compare an A-rated fridge/freezer with an F-rated one in the product calculation and enter the electricity price of 404 öre/kWh and the lifespan of 10 years, you get the cost of 4,202 SEK for A and 11,554 SEK for F, which means that the annual cost is 420 SEK and 1,155 SEK respectively.

If you want to calculate it yourself instead, you simply multiply the product's annual energy consumption by the electricity price, which gives 104 x 4.04 = 420 SEK or 286 x 4.04 = 1,155 SEK.

If you replace your F-rated fridge/freezer with an A-rated one, you will save approximately SEK 735 per year at the current electricity price.

Annual cost of a dishwasher

To find out the cost of a dishwasher, fill in the calculation with the price for electricity and the price for water and then indicate how often you use the machine. According to the product calculation, an A-class dishwasher costs approximately SEK 11,500 in operation if the lifespan is stated as 14 years and SEK 8,213 if the lifespan is 10 years. This corresponds to an annual cost of SEK 821 per year if the machine is used once a day.

If you want to calculate the cost yourself, you can look at the energy consumption (stated in kWh for 100 wash cycles) and water consumption (stated in liters per wash cycle). An A-rated dishwasher consumes 54 kWh per 100 wash cycles and 8.4 liters of water per wash cycle.

Doing the dishes once therefore costs 0.54 x 4.04 = 2.18 SEK in electricity consumption plus 0.0084 x 8.90 = 0.75 öre in water consumption – a total of 2.26 SEK. If you do the dishes once a day, it costs 824 SEK a year.

Now compare this to what it costs to wash dishes with a 12-year-old dishwasher, which is now E-rated, consumes 0.90 kWh and 12 liters of water per wash cycle. If you wash dishes with it once a day, the annual cost is 1,369 SEK.

Switching from an E-rated dishwasher to an A-rated one can therefore save approximately SEK 545 annually at current electricity prices.

Annual cost of a washing machine

The product calculation also includes a calculation for washing machines where the expected lifespan, price for electricity and water are filled in. An A-rated washing machine consumes 47 kWh for 100 washes (i.e. 0.47 kWh for one wash) and the water consumption is 47 liters for one wash. One wash therefore costs 0.47 x 4.04 = 1.90 SEK in electricity consumption plus 0.047 x 8.90 = 42 öre in water consumption – a total of 2.32 SEK. The annual cost is then 847 SEK.

With a 20-year-old washing machine, the cost will be higher. The consumption per wash is 0.95 kWh plus 59 liters of water, which means a total cost of SEK 4.36 per wash. Doing laundry once a day therefore costs SEK 1,591 per year. Replacing your 20-year-old washing machine with an A-rated one therefore means a saving of approximately SEK 744 per year, with current electricity prices. Should the price increase, which experts warn of, the savings will also increase.

Finally, it should be mentioned that there are differences in both electricity and water consumption between different appliances in the same energy class. In the calculation examples above, a randomly selected product in each category and energy class has been used.

Text: Ola Larsson