Have you ever wondered which of your appliances cost you the most to run? What are your biggest energy consumers? Everybody tries to save money and while getting a good deal with your energy provider is crucial, it is also good to know what pieces of your inventory gobble up how much exactly of your electricity bill.
Here is an overview of regular appliances that many households use on a daily basis. The cost listed in the table are per device running, so if you are not only using a single light bulb but a couple per room, then this value should be multiplied accordingly.
The costs listed here are based on an average estimation of usage time, so if you happen to use the dishwasher for two hours per day instead of one, you’d need to double the cost accordingly. We decided to use a “cost per month” result, as some appliances such as the A/C or an electric heater might not be used throughout the whole year in all regions.
List of the biggest energy consumers in your home
| Appliance | Consumption (W) | Hours/day | Cost per month |
| Electric heater | 2000 | 24 | $175.32 |
| Air condition | 600 | 24 | $52.60 |
| Freezer | 300 | 24 | $26.30 |
| Refrigerator | 200 | 24 | $17.53 |
| Electric oven | 2400 | 2 | $17.53 |
| Water heater | 4000 | 1 | $14.61 |
| Clothes dryer | 3000 | 1 | $10.96 |
| Clothes iron | 2400 | 1 | $8.77 |
| Washing machine | 2000 | 1 | $7.31 |
| Dishwasher | 1600 | 1 | $5.84 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 1600 | 1 | $5.84 |
| Desktop PC | 100 | 8 | $2.92 |
| TV | 70 | 8 | $2.05 |
| Gaming console | 120 | 4 | $1.75 |
| Laptop | 50 | 8 | $1.46 |
| Light bulb (LED) | 9 | 12 | $0.39 |
Costs are based on an electricity pricing of 12 cents per 1 kW/h which is average in the US. If you’re on a smartphone and can’t see the table properly, click here to see the table as image.
You can quickly identify that permanently running appliances easily take up a large piece of your electricity bill. As you cannot regulate these by using them less, you’ll need to make sure to buy energy-efficient products when getting new units. You can often save money after the first year of operation is through and often we keep items like a freezer or fridge for many years.
When it’s not possible to change to alternative models with better energy efficiency ratings, the only other thing you could do to make sure to save some money on the electricity bill is to better regulate usage and reduce operating times for the energy consumers. Some devices also consume a bit of energy while they are not even actively being operated, like stand-by modes for instance. You could consider to change the power settings on such devices or disconnect them from the power distribution when not in use. A smart home setup could also help you with saving power if used properly.
Green energy is sometimes cheaper than regular power
Just a little while ago I was reviewing my personal spendings and decided to swap the energy provider. I went for an energy plan that consisted only of renewable energy sources and was still able to go cheaper than the traditional plan that I was in before. So I just want to leave that comment here with you to consider.
You should check new suppliers out and it’s even possible that you can save money and receive sustainable energy. Yet I need to warn you that some “green” providers might still have large percentages of coal or nuclear energy in their mix. Always check how your provider actually sources your power too.
Photo credit: The feature image “treat yourself” has been done by Evieanna Santiago. The photo “apartment building yellow wall” was taken by Isaac Benhesed. The picture “windfarm” has been prepared by RawFilm.
