How Much Electricity do Appliances Use?
This chart shows how much energy a typical appliance uses per year and its corresponding cost based on national averages. For example, a refrigerator uses almost five times the electricity the average television uses. Visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Consumer’s Guide for instructions on calculating the electrical use of your appliances.
Household appliances use a varied amount of electricity, depending on their efficiency. Location of an appliance can affect electricity usage. For example, a clothes dryer in an open location like a garage, is likely to be somewhat less efficient than one located in a house. Similarly, a water heater with improper insulation is likely to be less efficient and will use more electricity than a well-located and insulated water heater. Another factor affecting electricity usage of an appliance is the age of the appliance. If your refrigerator is forty years old, chances are your electricity bills are quite high. If you have purchased a refrigerator in the US within the last five years, you are likely to have a far more energy efficient appliance, which represents significant savings on your electricity bill. Today, more and more appliances in the US are now given the Energy Star seal of approval, which guarantees less usage of electricity. Electricity in the US is measured in kilowatts. A
This chart from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Savers – Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home booklet. Here is how you can convert one to another. Just remember that Amps multiplied by Volts equals Watts. Here is an example. Let’s say that you have a saw that draws 10 amps. The common voltage in the USA is 120. So, multiply 10 times 120 to get 1,200. The saw draws 1,200 watts while operating. Remember, though, it requires an extra 700 watts or so just to get going! Check out the values below. Look around at your appliances and do a quick load calculation. Imagine what you might want to have going in a power failure. You will get to 5,000 watts so fast it will make your head swim! The following lists show appliances and tools you might find around your house or business. The first number after each name is the resistive Load. The second number that follows is the reactive load. The numbers listed are ordinary watts. Where there is no second number, there simply is no reactive lo
This chart shows how much energy a typical appliance uses per year and its corresponding cost based on national averages. For example, a refrigerator uses almost five times the electricity the average television uses. Visit www.energysavers.gov for instructions on calculating the electrical use of your appliances.
