Energy Consumption of Household Appliances
If you are interested in the energy consumption of household appliances, please refer to the chart below. To check the energy consumption of other appliances, check the bottom or back of the appliance. Since appliances have different settings, the actual amount of power consumed at any given time depends upon the setting.
To calculate how much electricity is being used per appliance, multiply the wattage by the number of hours you use the appliance and divide by 1,000. Because one kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts, you will now know the kilowatt-hour consumption per appliance. Once you know that, you can check a recent electric bill to find out how much the company charges per kilowatt-hour and figure out how much money the appliance costs to run.
For example, using the list of appliance’s average wattage and the 2008 average residential retail price in the United States (11.26¢ per kWh), here is a formula to calculate your energy consumption.
| Appliance |
Average Wattage |
| Ceiling Fan |
65-175 |
| Coffee maker |
900-1200 |
| Clock radio |
10 |
| Clothes Washer |
350-500 |
| Clothes Dryer |
1800-5000 |
| Dishwasher |
1200-2400 |
| DVD |
20-25 |
| Hair Dryer |
1200-1875 |
| Iron |
1000-1800 |
| Microwave |
750-1100 |
Personal Computer: CPU - awake/asleep |
120/30 or less |
Personal Computer: Monitor - awake/asleep |
150/30 or less |
Personal Computer: Laptop |
50 |
| Refrigerator (frost-free, 16 cubic ft.) |
725 |
| Television (Flat Screen) |
120 |
| Toaster |
800-1400 |
| Vacuum Cleaner |
1000-1440 |
| Water Heater (40 gal) |
4500-5500 |
Note that refrigerators, though switched on at all times, actually cycles on and off. The rate of the cycles depends on room temperature, how many times the door is opened and shut, whether or not the door seals properly, and the freezer temperature. To get an approximate figure for the number of hours that a refrigerator operates at maximum wattage, divide the total time the refrigerator is plugged in by three.
Sources: www.eia.doe.gov and
www.energysavers.gov/
|
