How you can live more sustainably with the help of your home appliances

Yes, choosing the right home appliances can impact all sorts of things, like energy use, food waste and even what your monthly bills look like. Here’s what you need to know…

Adopting a more sustainable lifestyle often starts at home. The foods we buy and eat. How we wash our clothes – and ourselves. Whether or not we’re using appliances efficiently; why we find ourselves throwing out so much food.

We often hear about lifestyle swaps that can make a difference: saying no to fast fashion, embracing circularity, repairing something rather than buying brand-new, ditching the car in favour of walking or cycling whenever possible… but how do we implement the kinds of changes which filter through all facets of everyday life? Especially the ones which impact on our bank balance, too?

Research from Deloitte on consumer sustainability trends in 2022 found that while sustainability remains a key concern for consumers, 48% percent reported they “don’t have enough information” to know which choices really make a difference to helping the planet.

Energy-saving home appliances can offer your household convenience – and then some. From precision-dosing washing machines to food-preserving technology, the latest tech can streamline your domestic duties and lighten your (environmental) load, too…

The dishwasher that saves water

Conserving water isn’t simply a way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle and keep our outgoings lower. It’s a global concern as freshwater resources are threatened by climate change.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that each person uses 142 litres of water a day (the average for households is 349 litres), and water bills recently went up by 7.5% – the biggest hike in 20 years – according to Water UK.

While most of us know the basics when it comes to easy ways to save water - don’t run the tap when brushing your teeth, keep your showers under five minutes, etc. When it comes to bigger home appliances like dishwashers and washing machines, choose those which have high energy-efficiency ratings. New innovations in Bosch’s dishwasher range, PerfectDry, can also make a difference to your household’s energy consumption (and subsequent bills).*

These dishwashers are designed with patented Zeolith® technology, which uses natural minerals to absorb excess humidity and convert it into hot air during a cycle. Open the machine and you’ll find drip-free, sparkling, completely dry dishes. So long, tea towels!

But for those worried that sustainability is hard work (like 41% of those surveyed by Deloitte), the ease of PerfectDry dishwashers will impress, since you can connect to the app and start dishwasher cycles at the most energy efficient time.

The fridge that keeps food fresh for longer

Few of us have the time, energy or inclination to pre-plan every meal for the next week. In fact, lots of us don’t even manage to eat up all the delicious ingredients we’ve purchased before our produce starts to wilt. It’s no wonder food waste continues to be a pressing issue in the UK in 2023: as a nation, we throw away 9.5 million tonnes of food a year.

There are simple ways to save time in the kitchen and increase the longevity of fresh foods, like batch-cooking, reimagining leftovers into your next meal and vacuum-storing food (to preserve freshness, taste and nutritional benefits). The fridge you choose can also make a difference.

Bosch fridges with VitaFresh technology work to preserve the freshness of ingredients, which is useful for those embracing more fruits and vegetables in their diet - beneficial for the environment, your health and your wallet. (Eating in a flexitarian way, with fewer meat and dairy products, can reduce food costs by 14%

They are also designed in a way that helps you maximise space and efficiently organise your food storage (which can help prevent unnecessary waste). VitaFresh fridges feature climate-controlled compartments. When you adjust the humidity controls on the extra-large drawer, fruit and vegetables will stay fresher and tastier for longer.*** The meat and fish compartment is optimised at a close-to-0-degrees-Celsius-temperature.

The washing machine that knows how to do its job

Fighting the tendency to throw away items instead of repairing them is key to living more sustainably. That’s why it makes sense to purchase items from companies whose products have stood the test of time who prioritise consistency and reliability of performance above all else.

Deloitte’s research also found that when it comes to making a purchase, 52% of consumers value durability over recyclability, which is why changing our mentality when it comes to fixing something instead of tossing it is key for a sustainable future.

Bosch’s free, extended five-year warranty on a selection of home appliances****, including select models of i-DOS washing machines, provides reassurance that you are buying something built to last.

Bosch i-DOS integrated sensors are pretty impressive: the machine understands the volume, dirtiness and fabrics of each load and automatically measures out the correct amount of detergent and fabric softener needed for each wash cycle, as well as deciding on the length of time required. These smart features save water each time you wash your clothes; the i-DOS also adjusts its dosing based on how hard the water in your area happens to be.***** All of this, and you don’t even need to refill the chambers with detergent and softener ahead of each wash. Follow up with another energy-saving device: HeatPump dryers can reduce energy by as much as 68% across the year+) by conserving and reusing heat from one load to the next.

Convenience, cost-cutting and consideration of the planet? Smart tech appliances may be the future… but they offer plenty of benefits for consumers now, too.

Live sustainably #LikeABosch… click here for more information on Bosch’s innovation-led white goods for the home




*Bosch PerfectDry dishwashers are 22.8% more energy efficient than non-PerfectDry models

**Based on an average energy consumption of an Economy programme of all Bosch PerfectDry 60 cm dishwashers vs. all non-PerfectDry 60 cm models. In accordance to GB energy labels and dependent on the use of the appliance. Email MKS-BoschEnquiries@bshg.com for more information.

***Compared to Bosch fridge freezers without VitaFresh.

****Offer dates: 01.04.23 - 31.03.24

T&Cs apply. Online registration required. Selected models only.

*****Calculation is based on a mixed load washed at 40°C with 38% manual over-dosing of liquid detergent vs. an automatic dosing appliance with 10 kg and 4D wash system: Investigation WL 1547/19 conducted by WFK Institute for Applied Research, dated 08/2019, and commissioned by BSH Hausgeräte GmbH.

+Based on comparing our most efficient 8kg Heat Pump dryer WQG233D8GB (A+++ energy rated Heat Pump tumble dryer @ 176kWh) versus our most efficient Condenser 8kg tumble dryer WPG23108GB (B energy rated @560pkWh) Energy consumption kWh/annum, based on 160 drying cycles of the standard cotton programme at full and partial load, and the consumption of the low-power modes.