Home appliances are an integral part of most homeowner’s daily lives. But in order to run efficiently, they need to draw a considerable amount of electricity. There’re appliances that consume more electricity than others. Most often, the costliest have the highest consumption.
Energy hogging appliances can increase your energy bills by up to 25%. And those with poor performance draw more power. That’s why it is vital to ensure good maintenance and extend their lifespan as much as possible.
Of course, your energy bill depends on some factors like the local climate or what the appliances are used for. But no matter how big your home or where you live, some of them can wreak havoc on your budget.
After listing the most common energy-hungry appliances found at homes, we’ll look at ways to expand their lifespan and save up your budget along the way.
How to measure energy consumption
The rate at which the energy we consume is measured in watts. However, to evaluate monthly consumption, the measurement used is KWh (Kilowatts-hours). 1 KWh is 1000 watts working in one hour. In that way, it’s easier to determine the amount of energy used by each appliance.
For instance, a 70-watts light bulb consumes 70 watts at a given moment. Your electrical bill is a sum total of the consumption of all appliances and the amount payable as per the prevailing electricity unit rates.
Power Hungry Appliances and how to improve their efficiency
The following are the 07 most energy-draining appliances found at home:
Heating and cooling systems
These systems account for more than 30 percent of your annual energy consumption. They draw an extreme amount of electricity to humidify and cool a house. Cooling systems drop the temperature in your home during summer days.
Depending on the type of cooling system, the capacity, the size or the efficiency of a unit, expect to use between 200 and 1800 KWh each month (source: MCEC). Window-units which are the less effective ones consume between 200 and 650 kWh per month. On the other hand Heat pump range between 600 and 1800 kWh per month.
Heating systems draw more energy than air conditioners and are the biggest energy hog appliances. That makes sense. It’s easier for electrical systems to produce cool air rather than heat. In winter, heating a home account for not less than 30 percent of your bill. Depending on the region where you are located your heating bill may go up to 3500 KWh/month. (Source: MCEC). It is also obvious that inefficient units run more power than those of better quality.
The following are tips to improve your heating and cooling systems:
- Install a programmable thermostat.
- Pay attention to energy-efficient models: Look at the starts, the higher the stars, the better. It is an effective method to cut down energy bills.
- Check your systems on a regular basis.
- Insulate air leaks.
- Change / Replace air filters regularly.
- During summer days, open up the windows at night to let your house cool down.
Electric ovens
This is another hungry appliance. You may not notice it but electric ovens cost not less than $70 per month. The reason why meters do not record ovens as energy hogs is simply because they work for a few hours only.
Unlike fridges which are constantly in use. But since you use your oven almost or every single day, this appliance can become one of the hungriest ones.
How to optimize their use:
- Don’t reheat foods if you can use microwaves instead.
- Don’t pre-heat electrical ovens too often and for long periods of time.
Water Heaters
There are many applications that require hot water. We talk about washing clothes, dishes or bathing. These are activities that most homeowners can’t just live without.
Like previous appliances, the actual energy consumption on hot water depends on different factors be it the type of the tank or the temperature it is set at.
The average consumption of water heaters is 400 KWh per month. In order to reduce that number, below are tips that will hopefully help your heater to work perfectly:
- Low-flow showerheads.
- Set your thermostat at 50 degrees C.
- Use cold water as much as possible for washing clothes.
- Insulate storage tank.
Refrigerators and freezers
Consider spending between $7 and 12$ per month depending on the age or the size of the fridges.
If you’re using a refrigerator or fridge of questionable quality, your energy consumption can go up to thousands of KW per year.Â
Some homeowners have at least 02 fridges which contribute to at least double the amount of money they’ll spend on your bills.
These are steps you can take to run your fridges properly:
- Upgrade your unit to a more energy-efficient one.
- Set the thermostat at 36 to 38 degrees F for the refrigerator and less than 5 degrees F for freezers.
- Check the seals.
Washer and dryer
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They can eat up to 12 percent of your annual consumption. While the washing machine doesn’t use too much energy, the dryer costs quite a bit of money.
You can expect to spend $15 for every 20 hours. You can get the most of your washer by washing only full loads. Clean the lint filter of your dryer as much as possible.
Swimming pools
Many people have a pool installed in their backyard. Swimming pools run an important amount of electricity. And without proper precautions, you may end up spending a minimum of $1500 each year. However, with some good swimming pool habits, you can dramatically drop the bills. You can, for instance, install a solar-powered pump or use a pool cover.
Television
It may sound strange to you but your television is an important power-hungry appliance.
We are not only talking about TVs but the accessories to which they are connected to. We think about DVD players or cable boxes. The average annual energy consumption is 2%. Plasma TVs consume more energy than other versions or models.
If you want a massive impact on your energy consumption, consider shutting down your TV when not in use. You should also buy an appropriate power strip.
Author’s Bio
Suzanne Patricia Likeng is the author of tccelectricalcontent, a blog that’s dedicated to home improvement and IT lovers. She loves spending time with dogs and family. This is her LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn
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