Here's a breakdown of the biggest energy use categories in the typical home: Air conditioning and heating: 46 percent. Water heating: 14 percent. Appliances: 13 percent.
Heating and Cooling Systems (40%)
Heating and cooling combined use the largest amount of energy in the average Australian home. They account for around 40% of household energy use according to YourHome.gov.au.
So, the clear winner here is the lightbulb…at least until you multiply that by how many lights you have in your house. Plus, if you still use incandescent bulbs (switch to LEDs ASAP if you do), 2 – 3 will use more electricity than most TVs over the course of the year.
Almost any type of stereo equipment you have will draw electricity for as long as it's plugged in, even when it's not in use. Microwaves and Coffee Makers. While they don't draw much, these kitchen appliances use electricity for a digital display even when not in use. Traditional Lamps.
Your fridge freezer needs to stay on all the time, so it typically uses the most electricity of all the kitchen appliances – an average of 408kWh per year.
Today's electrical products are draining energy more than ever. And the culprit is standby power. Unless they're unplugged, many of your appliances are continuously using electricity. Top examples include TVs, DVR boxes, satellite TV boxes, computers, and video game consoles.
To get specifics regarding your energy usage, you need an electricity usage monitor that tells you exactly how many kWh a device or appliance is drawing. It can be as simple as a "plug load" monitor that plugs into an outlet. You then plug the device/appliance into the monitor.
The minimum energy consumed by an electric kettle is around 1200 W, while most kettles have a maximum power rating of 3000 W. For instance, when an electric kettle works on 1200 W, it will take roughly 125 sec to boil the water. Hence, the average power consumption is 0.04 kWh.
Washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers account for 14% of a typical energy bill, taking the top spot in our list. The power needed to heat the water that they use pushes up consumption, making them energy-hungry household appliances.
Air fryers don't use a lot of electricity, with most requiring between 800 and 1800 watts (W) to run, though some large models need more. Air fryers also use less electricity than electric ovens, which typically use around 2,200 W to 5,000 W, and therefore cost more to run.
Check energy rating labels when buying new appliances. Upgrade your home insulation, windows and blinds to heat-proof your house. Switch off appliances at the wall to use one to five percent less energy. Switch off lights when you leave a room.
The most electricity is consumed by a fridge/freezer, electric range and dishwasher. This is mainly because they are used so much. The espresso maker uses 450 kWh annually, at one cup a day. For cooking purposes, an electric slow cooker, Instant Pot or microwave will use less energy than will an electric range.
Do Fans Use a Lot of Electricity? Running a fan takes a lot less electricity than running an air conditioner; ceiling fans average at about 15-90 watts of energy used, and tower fans use about 100 watts.
Washing machines. Practically every appliance and electronic device you have plugged in at home is using some electricity — and adding to your utility bill — even when it isn't in use or even turned on.
The most common cause of an unusually high power bill is a change in the weather. Generally speaking, most household's power bills are higher in winter as the shorter days and cost of heating can have a significant impact on electricity consumption.
Ultimately, the more you use your oven, the more electricity it will consume. This is also true when you use your electric oven more often. Moreover, if you use your oven at a higher temperature, your electricity consumption will also increase. Different oven models and sizes also differ in power consumption.
On average, microwaves use about 600 to 1000 watts of electricity. Using a microwave for 15 minutes per day will use about 6.1 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month and 73 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
Electric showers are sized in kilowatts (kW). Generally, a smaller property will have a 7.5 to 8.5 kW shower, whereas bigger homes can have up to a 10.5 kW appliance. A 10 kW shower uses approximately one kWh of energy in six minutes.
Washing machine wattages cover a huge range, from under 300 watts per hour for the most efficient models to over 1,500 for the real energy hogs. Your washing machine's age is a big factor, because modern washing machines are overall more efficient than older models.
That's wasted electricity—technically, it's called "no load mode," but in reality it's just another vampire. According to the Berkeley Lab's testing, cell phone chargers in no load mode consume around 0.26 watts, and laptop chargers, 4.42 watts.
For example, unplugging your coffeemaker or microwave is unlikely to make a significant difference, while a computer, modem, and monitor, TV, phone charger, or cable box all consume a considerable amount of electricity even when not in use.