Did you know that you could save $100 a year by simply unplugging certain appliances and devices when not in use?
This is a great start, but if you really want to save on electricity costs you need to get clued up on which appliances use the most power.
Once you know what the big energy suckers in your home, you can take steps to manage their consumption and control your electricity usage.
If you don’t do this, you might spend half your time running around plugging and unplugging things without seeing much in the way of savings on your electrical bill.
Read on to get wise as to which appliances use the most electricity in the average home.
Appliances that Create Heat
If you’re trying to get a handle on appliance electricity usage, one of the first rules of thumb to know is that heat-generating appliances are usually the most energy-hungry.
Anytime an appliance has to heat up water, air, or anything else this will require quite a bit of energy.
Therefore, things like space heaters, boilers, dryers, ovens, hair dryers, and irons tend to be energy guzzlers.
Air Conditioning Systems
The majority of home electricity usage in the US goes towards heating and cooling. If you have an HVAC or air conditioning system this will make up a big portion of your electricity usage.
If you want to cut down on electricity costs, you can try to use your air conditioner less or adjust the thermostat a few degrees higher.
If you’re worried about how to keep your electricity bill under control, while still being able to cool your house, you can also look into installing solar panels. To get an idea of what you could save, you can contact an installer like Blue Raven Solar for a savings estimate.
Lights
Individual light bulbs do not use a lot of energy. But, lighting as a whole makes up a material portion of most homes’ electricity usage.
One way you can reduce the energy consumed by lighting in your home is by turning off lights in unoccupied rooms. You can also switch to more efficient light bulbs like LEDs.
Home Entertainment Systems
Home entertainment systems don’t make up a huge part of home electricity usage. However, they are one of the places where you can save by plugging out devices when not in use. If your home entertainment components are hooked up to an adaptor plug you can simply unplug this out of the wall socket when you’re done watching TV.
This will also help protect your home entertainment system from power surges.
Refrigerators and Freezers
Refrigerators and freezers aren’t massive energy suckers. Newer models especially are relatively energy efficient.
However, refrigerator/freezers are one of those household appliances that never get switched off. Although the motors cycle on and off automatically, your refrigerator and freezer are still operating 24/7.
If you want to curtail your appliance electricity usage, you can consider raising the temperature on your refrigerator or freezer by a couple of degrees. A lot of people set their refrigerators and freezers at the minimum temperatures. Unless you live in a very warm climate, this is usually not necessary.
Old Appliances
Old appliances are another big culprit when it comes to high appliance electricity usage. Old appliances are usually very inefficient.
Age and disrepair can also increase the electricity usage of old appliances. For instance, an old fridge that is low on gas or has a slightly damaged door rubber will be far less efficient than a new one that’s in good working order.
If you have some old appliances and you’re worried about their efficiency, you can measure their electricity usage using an electricity usage monitor.
Understand Your Electricity Usage and Save
Understanding which appliances use the most energy is the best place to start when trying to reduce your electricity usage. Now that you know which are the big energy munchers in your home, you can take steps to control appliance electricity usage.
Ready to save more money?
Browse our blog for more helpful tips on how to save money as a homeowner.
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