How Much Energy Do Appliances Use?
As summer sets in, families tend to stay indoors and this could lead to higher air-conditioner bills. You must have realised by now how high your energy expenses could shoot up in the summer because of your AC alone. But, do you know how much it would cost to run each of your main appliances at home?
Maybe, you have very high energy bills but haven’t a clue which appliances cause a spike in your bill. Here are some of the home appliances that could be costing you dearly. Keep in mind, that older and more worn down appliances tend to use up more energy compared to modern ones.
Here are some of the appliances you need to keep in mind when it comes to energy expenses:
Costs of Staying Warm – Heating
Heating appliances consume a lot of power and that entails for a lot of expenditure on energy bills. Below are some of the heating appliances that suck up a lot of energy and the amount that would cost you every time they’ve been put to use:
- A portable heater (1500W) uses about 1.5 kWh per hour. The estimated cost of usage of a portable heater is about $0.17 per hour. A Baseboard heater of about six feet (250W per feet) which also uses up around 1.5 kWH per hour, leading to an estimated cost of $0.17 per hour.
- Heat pump strips expend more energy than portable heaters. Heat pump strips expend around 10 kWh per hour. That entails $1.10 per hour. This could take a large chunk of your expenses with a dollar every hour you use your heater.
- Most of all an electric heater uses up the most energy. A single hour of use would suck up around 10.5 kWh which is around $1.20 per hour. Imagine how much you would be spending for a single day of use. You would be spending around 30$.
Keeping It Cool – Air Conditioner
It comes as a no brainer that air conditioners take up a lot energy and end up visible as a large part of your energy bill. A Window/Wall unit (120V) consumes about 0.73 kWh per hour. $0.08 is how much it would cost per hour of use. The 240V variant of your air-conditioner will use up around 1.8 kWh per hour. This would cost you around $0.20 per hour.
A central air conditioner takes up the most power out of all the air conditioning variants. A 3 ton central air conditioner will use 3.0 kWh of energy per hour. This means that usage of a central air conditioner will cost you around $0.33 per hour. In comparison your basic ceiling fan takes up only 0.075 kWh per hour, which would cost you only $0.01 per hour. In the summer, the energy expenditure of your air conditioner may rise even further, seeing as your appliance has to put in excess effort in order to cool your home.
Save on Energy Bills – Water Heater
Your water heater is an essential appliance as it’s sure to keep warm. The amount of energy expenditure from your water heater depends on how old and efficient it is. Older models, made before the 2000s will mostly be less efficient and takes in more electricity in order to heat your water. Your regular electric water heater uses about 380 to 500 kWh in a month. This entails a monthly energy expenditure of $41 to $55 in a month. As you can very well see, your electric water heater alone can be a sizeable chunk of your monthly expenses.
The total expenses from your electric water heater may vary based on how you use your water heater. Extensive use for multiple purposes can leave you a energy bill on the higher end of the scale. A method to save money is by using you electric water heater less. You can opt to use a solar panel or a solar water heater . A solar powered water heater will ensure you save a lot of money on your monthly energy expenses as well as be very friendly to the environment.
Here are the top tips to save energy in summer.
Revamping Your Refrigerator
Your refrigerator is one of the major appliances that is constantly running and makes a huge dent on your energy bill. This is more on the case of old refrigerators made in the 1990s. This also includes the energy expenditure of freezers as well. Because refrigerators in 1990s used outdated and primitive technology to cool your food, their energy expenditure is relatively more in comparison to modern models.
A refrigerator from 1996 will use about 150 kWh per month which in turn will cost $16.50 per month. A freezer from the same time period will use about 90 kWh which is about $9.90 a month. Newer energy efficient models made in 2005 and later use better technology leading to bigger savings. A large Energy Star Refrigerator (25 Cub.) will use only 60 kWh of energy in a month. This will lead to a monthly expenditure of about 6.60% which is huge difference compared to the 1990’s refrigerator and freezers.
If you’re using an old refrigerator, it’s advisable that you think of upgrading to a new modern fridge. You will be saving more money on your energy bill on the long run.
Extent of Water Usage – Clothes Dryer/ Washing Machine
Your clothes dryer/washing machine not only expends energy but gallons of water as well. While this is inevitable there are a lot of options you have when it comes to using your clothes dryer/ washing machine. A small step to make big savings on your energy savings is to choose what type of load you put into your dryer/ washing machine. A light load will expend about 2.5 kWh and a heavy load will use around 4 kWh of energy per wash. A light load will cost you about $0.28 per load in comparison to the $0.48 per wash. All these numbers might be simple and low individually but they’ll take chunk out of your expenses when all your washes are tallied together.
Your expenditure will be at its highest in terms of your clothes dryer/ washer running on a hot wash with a warm rinse setting. This setting uses about 6.3 kWh per wash, which in terms of money equals $0.69 per wash. Multiple washes like this throughout the month would see your energy bill skyrocket.
You have a third option as well when it comes to using your clothes dryer/washer. Using these appliances with a level scarcity will help you lower your energy expenses greatly. Drying your clothes outside is a good alternative to using your clothes dryer. The open air and sunlight can also maintain the health of your clothes as well. In terms of washing your clothes, you can opt to bucket was them like how our ancestors used to. This method not only cuts your electrical expenses, it will also reduce the amount of water consumption as well.
Save You Time – Dishwasher
Your dishwasher works in similar fashion to your washing machine/ clothes dryer. More than an essential appliance, a dishwasher is more of a luxury that helps in eliminating one of the most boring chores, cleaning dishes. While a dishwasher can save you time and does a standup job, it utilises a lot of water and electricity. You can see the result of this in your energy bill. A dishwasher on a normal cycle (excluding hot water) uses about 1 to 2.17 kWh per load. This means that per normal wash cycle you will be effectively spending about $0.11 to $0.24. In a month, depending on how much it’s used daily you could be seeing $20 down the drain.
One good thing is that most dishwasher models come with an eco-friendly energy saving cycle. This energy saving cycle uses only 0.5 kWh per wash which translates to $0.004 per wash. Pretty neat right? There is also a third option to save even more on your energy bill. That option is to wash all your dishes on your own whenever you can. Just by doing this alone, you can save a lot of money on your energy bill.
How to Save On Energy Expenses?
If you’re a homeowner living in a home with very old appliances, then you’re a little short of luck. This is because old appliances mostly run on outdated technology and aren’t as energy efficient as compared to their modern counterparts. Furthermore, old appliances must be worn down and need to use more energy to complete its task.
In terms of your energy bill, you also need to take into account phantom loads. A phantom load is the amount of electricity that is wasted when you keep your appliances on a standstill. This is because most of your major home appliances still utilise electricity even when they are not tasked with anything (left on standby), it reflects on your electricity bill. In order to curb this excess wastage of electricity, shut off the power on your appliance and disconnect it from the plug point. Doing so ensures that there are no phantom loads reflected on your electricity bill.
So in order to make the most savings on your energy bill, it has to be out with the old and in with the new. Newer HVAC appliances are usually gauged by their EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio). The EER is marked on the HVAC appliance to tell you how much energy it uses in comparison to its output. This helps you as the homeowner make the best decision in terms of replacing your appliance.
In the United States, energy efficiency is gauged by the energy star rating on your appliance. This is a 6 star rating with the highest rating (6 stars) entails maximum energy efficiency and 1 star being the lowest. Most major appliances in the United States will have the energy star rating, telling you how efficient it is.
Ensuring Your Appliances Stay Energy Efficient
In order for your appliances to always run at high efficiency, they need to run like well oiled machines. You need to keep a close eye on your appliances and constantly maintain and repair them. Being a homeowner and breadwinner of the family will make maintenance a herculean task. So why not have it maintained via a reliable third party. That reliable third party is none other than a home warranty service.
Dealing with annual energy expenses can be difficult and it would only get more frustrating with high bills for maintenance and repair of your appliances. If you want a ballpark picture of how much you would be spending on maintenance of all your appliances for a year, check out this home maintenance calculator.
Now, a home warranty service will help you lower your expenditure on repairs and maintenance for a year. The way it works is, you the homeowner will pay a relatively small sum of money to the home warranty company. Once you’ve held an agreement with the company and the service is functioning, you can avail maintenance and repair services from the home warranty whenever your appliance breaks down. Keep in mind, each home warranty has its own policies, deductibles and exceptions.
Now how do you know which is the home warranty company for you? To answer that query you can head on to HomeWarrantyReviews.com. Here you can compare between the top home warranty companies in the United States. American Home Shield is the pioneer of the home warranty industry do make sure to check this company out. Each company has its own reviews from actual customers. These reviews reflect the reputation of the home warranty company, giving you utmost clarity. Each home warranty company also has its own ratings timeline, which presents to you how it has been faring in the eyes of the public for the last five years.
Once you’re satisfied with your choice in home warranty company, you can easily enough ask for a quotation and begin negotiations with the home warranty company.
What is the Energy Usage and Energy Costs of Major Appliances?
| Detail | Estimated Energy Usage | Estimated Energy Costs |
| Oven | 2.3 kWh per hour | $0.25 per hour |
| Oven: Surface | 1-1.5 kWh per hour | $0.11 – $0.17 per hour |
| Oven: Self-cleaning feature | 6 kWh per hour cleaning | $0.66 per cleaning |
| Microwave oven | 0.12 kWh per 5 min | $0.01 per 5 min |
What appliances take the most electricity?
Here’s an appliance energy comparison on what uses the most energy in your home:
- Water heater: 14% of energy use.
- Washer and dryer: 13% of energy use.
- Lighting: 12% of energy use.
- Refrigerator: 4% of energy use.
- Electric oven: 3-4% of energy use.
- TV, DVD, cable box: 3% of energy use.
- Dishwasher: 2% of energy use.
- Computer: 1% of energy use.
How much electricity do appliances use?
| Appliance | Typical Consumption Per Hour | Cost Per Hour (at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour) |
| Space heater | 1,500 watts | 15 cents |
| Hair dryer | 1,200 watts | 12 cents |
| Electric range burner | 1,000 watts | 10 cents |
| Refrigerator | 1,000 watts | 10 cents |
How much electricity does a TV use in a day?
How much electricity does my television use? Most TV’s use about 80 to 400 watts, depending on the size and technology. Using a sample cost of 15¢ per kilowatt-hour and five hours of viewing a day, that’s $1.83 to $9.13/mo. ($22 to $110 per year). Below you’ll find energy usage information for different models.
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