Energy will probably not get any cheaper.

Between January and April, the price of electricity has already increased by almost 4 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), and in view of the Ukraine war, it is likely to become even more expensive.

The clever householder does the math again: Is it now worth replacing the refrigerator, washing machine and other appliances with more efficient, energy-saving versions?

We calculated that, using two electricity prices: 40 cents per kilowatt hour, as is the case in many old contracts, and 50 cents, which can still happen and is even required in some new contracts.

In general, the replacement is more worthwhile for large families than for single people, because many devices run more frequently in the families, so the operating costs are more important.

This applies above all to washing machines and tumble dryers, but also to dishwashers and even to a certain extent to televisions.

However, there is the most important energy-saving tip in advance: do not purchase any additional devices.

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy warns of the so-called "rebound effect": Although the efficiency of individual electrical appliances is constantly improving, the electricity consumption in the household does not always automatically decrease because new types of appliances are constantly coming onto the market and the number of electronic appliances in households increases.

However, with regard to the expected increase in electricity prices, you should already consider how many extra devices you would like to buy that are not urgently needed.

It is better to invest in replacing a large household appliance.

In our comparison, it pays off the most with the dryer and television.

It is also expensive

when you buy a new refrigerator and leave the old one running in the basement.

Last but not least, the old-fashioned rules still apply: turn off the lights when walking and pull out the clothesline when the sun is shining.

dryer

A dryer with the highest energy efficiency class A+++ with a heat pump and a particularly economical consumption of 152 kilowatt hours (kWh) currently costs around 60 euros in electricity per year, assuming a laundry load of seven to nine kilos.

A class B condenser dryer without a heat pump, even with the most economical version from Siemens, is already 499 kWh and thus amounts to almost 200 euros.

Assuming that electricity prices rise by 10 cents, the cost of an A+++ dryer with a heat pump is 76 euros, and in the lower efficiency class it is around 250 euros.

This results in a difference of 174 euros.

The newly purchased dryer pays for itself within a few years.

The dryer manufacturer BSH Hausgeräte, which sells under the Bosch and Siemens brands,

Washing machine

The difference is not quite as extreme here, which is why you can follow the advice of Stiftung Warentest and repair washing machines again: "Even ten-year-old devices are usually so efficient that replacing an otherwise intact device does not make sense, even against the background of rising energy prices,” says Axel Neisser, who heads the home appliances team at the foundation.

A very economical variant of efficiency class A from AEG consumes 45 kWh over 100 cycles.

If you calculate the average family use of 211 cycles per year, you get almost 95 kWh, which currently corresponds to almost 40 euros in electricity costs.

For single use of an average of 164 washing cycles per year, this results in 74 kWh, i.e. around 30 euros in electricity costs.

An older model, now classed as Class D,

can also consume 165 kWh (family) or 123 kWh (single person).

The new device would save a family 35 euros a year and a single person 25 euros – assuming an electricity price of 50 cents per kilowatt hour.