How Much Electricity Do Your Appliances Use?
Take a look at what you can do for just a few pennies with the help of electricity:
- Use a 75-watt lamp for 14 hours for about 7 cents
- Refrigerate food for a day for about 20 cents
- Operate a window fan for about 1 cent an hour
- Cook a meal on an electric range -using all the burners and the oven – for about 84 cents an hour
- Use the self-cleaning feature on your oven for a total of 35 cents
- Wash a load of dishes in a dishwasher for about 7 cents
- Electricity really is a bargain. What else can you buy that costs pennies and does so much work? You definitely couldn’t do this amount of work or hire someone else to do it for the same value.
Miscellaneous
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Electric Blanket | 200 | 2¢ per hour |
Water Bed Heater | 400 | 4¢ per hour |
Dehumidifier | 390 | 4¢ per hour |
Air Cleaner | 250 | 2.5¢ per hour |
20 Gallon Aquarium | 150 | 1.5¢ per hour |
Vacuum Cleaner | 630 | 6¢ per hour |
Garage Door Opener | 800 | 8¢ per hour |
Humidifier – Tabletop | 177 | 1.7¢ per hour |
Kitchen Appliances
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Barbeque Grill | 1350 | 13.5¢ per hour |
Coffee Maker | 900 | 9¢ per hour |
Deep Fat Fryer | 1450 | 14.5¢ per hour |
Garbage Disposal | 700 | 7¢ per hour |
Hot Plate | 660 | 6.6¢ per hour |
Microwave | 1450 | 14.5¢ per hour |
Range | 12500 | $1.25 per hour |
Sandwich Grill | 1160 | 11.6¢ per hour |
Toaster | 1150 | 11.5¢ per hour |
Toaster Oven | 1440 | 14.4¢ per hour |
Waffle Iron | 1120 | 11¢ per hour |
Slow Cooker | 200 | 2¢ per hour |
Home Office
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Personal Computer | 80 | 1¢ per hour |
Color Monitor | 75 | 1¢ per hour |
Fax Machine | 105 | 1¢ per hour |
Injet Printer | 35 | 1¢ per hour |
Laser Printer | 400 | 4¢ per hour |
Home Entertainment
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Radio | 70 | 1¢ per hour |
Stereo | 150 | 1.5¢ per hour |
Component System | 500 | 5¢ per hour |
Videocassette Recorder | 35 | 1¢ per hour |
DVD Player | 50 | 1¢ per hour |
Television Color 19 inch to 36 inch | 110 to 133 | 1¢ per hour |
53 inch Projection Television | 170 | 1.7¢ per hour |
42 inch Plasma Television | 250 | 2.5¢ per hour |
50 inch Plasma Television | 550 | 5.5¢ per hour |
Refrigeration
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
18 cubic foot Fridge/Freezer (frost free) | 720 | 7¢ per hour |
24 cubic foot Fridge/Freezer (frost free) | 810 | 8¢ per hour |
18 cubic foot Fridge/Freezer (manual frost) | 630 | 6¢ per hour |
24 cubic foot Fridge/Freezer (manual frost) | 720 | 7¢ per hour |
Fridge/Freezer Side-by-Side | 1020 | 10¢ per hour |
12 cubic foot Freezer (frost free) | 650 | 6.5¢ per hour |
24 cubic foot Freezer (frost free) | 845 | 8¢ per hour |
12 cubic foot Freezer (manual frost) | 650 | 6.5¢ per hour |
24 cubic foot Freezer (manual frost) | 845 | 8¢ per hour |
Swimming Pool & Spa
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Hot Tub Heater | 6000 | 60¢ per hour |
Hot Tub Pump (1 horsepower) | 1800 | 18¢ per hour |
Swimming Pool Filter Pump | 1200 to 2400 | 12¢ per hour to 24¢ per hour |
Swimming Pool Sweep Pump | 900 | 9¢ per hour |
Farm Operations
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
⅓ horsepower Water Pump | 250 | 2.5¢ per hour |
1.5 horsepower Water Pump | 1120 | 11¢ per hour |
1 horsepower Well Pump | 2000 | 20¢ per hour |
Stock Tank Water Heater | 1500 | 15¢ per hour |
Heat Lamp | 250 | 2.5¢ per hour |
500 Watt Head Bolt Heater | 500 | 5¢ per hour |
800 Watt Head Bolt Heater | 800 | 8¢ per hour |
1500 Watt Head Bolt Heater | 1500 | 15¢ per hour |
Livestock Fencer | 100 | $1 per month |
Security Light (consumer owned) | 90 | $9 per month |
Heating
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
750 watt Individual Baseboard Heater | Each foot 250 | 2¢ per hour |
750 watt Portable SpaceHeater/Oil Filled Radiator | 750 | 7.5¢ per hour |
1000 watt Portable SpaceHeater/Oil Filled Radiator | 1000 | 10¢ per hour |
1500 watt Portable SpaceHeater/Oil Filled Radiator | 1500 | 15¢ per hour |
Electric Fireplace (heating mode) | 1500 | 15¢ per hour |
Forced Air Systems
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
15 kilowatt Central Electric Furnace | 15,350 | $1.5323 per hour |
20 kilowatt Central Electric Furnace | 20,490 | $2.00 per hour |
25 kilowatt Central Electric Furnace | 25,670 | $2.50 per hour |
3 Ton Air Source Heat Pump (without backup running) | – | 66¢ per hour |
4 Ton Air Source Heat Pump (without backup running) | – | 71¢ per hour |
5 Ton Air Source Heat Pump (without backup running) | – | 88¢ per hour |
3 Ton Air Source Heat Pump (with 15 KW backup running) | – | $2.07¢ per hour |
4 Ton Air Source Heat Pump (with 15 KW backup running) | – | $2.25 per hour |
5 Ton Air Source Heat Pump (with 15 KW backup running) | – | $2.42 per hour |
3 Ton Ground Source Heat Pump (without backup running) | – | 38¢ per hour |
4 Ton Ground Source Heat Pump (without emergency backup) | – | 51¢ per hour |
5 Ton Ground Source Heat Pump (without emergency backup) | – | 88¢ per hour |
3 Ton Ground Source Heat Pump with 15 kilowatt backup | – | $1.53 per hour |
4 Ton Ground Source Heat Pump with 15 kilowatt backup | – | $2.05 per hour |
5 Ton Ground Source Heat Pump with 15 kilowattbackup | – | $2.05 per hour |
Cooling
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Attic Fan | 370 | 3.7¢ per hour |
Ceiling Fan | 150 | 1.5¢ per hour |
Box Fan (20 inch) | 180 | 2¢ per hour |
Furnance (1/2 horsepower) | 500 | 5¢ per hour |
Room Air Conditioner
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
6000 Btu per hour | 706 | 6¢ per hour |
12,000 Btu per hour | 1412 | 14¢ per hour |
24,000 Btu per hour | 2824 | 28¢ per hour |
Central Air Conditioner
Appliance | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|
3 Ton | 66¢ per hour |
4 Ton | 71¢ per hour |
5 Ton | 88¢ per hour |
Air Source Heat Pump
Appliance | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|
3 Ton | 53¢ per hour |
4 Ton | 71¢ per hour |
5 Ton | 88.7¢ per hour |
Ground Source Heat Pump
Appliance | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|
3 Ton | 38.7¢ per hour |
4 Ton | 51¢ per hour |
5 Ton | 71¢ per hour |
Water Heating, Laundry & Cleaning
Appliance | Typical Wattage | Estimated Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Dishwasher with cold water | 1400 | 14¢ per hour |
Dishwasher with hot water | 1400 | 25¢ per hour |
Clothes Dryer (per load) | 5000 | 50¢ per hour |
Clothes Washer (per load) cold | 500 | 5¢ per hour |
Clothes Washer (per load) hot | 500 | 15¢ per hour |
Water Heating
Number of People | Gallons per Month | Kilowatt Hours per Month | Cost per Month |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 450 | 200 | $20 |
2 | 900 | 300 | $30 |
3 | 1350 | 400 | $40 |
4 | 1800 | 500 | $50 |
5 | 2250 | 600 | $60 |
6 | 2700 | 700 | $70 |
(Rule of thumb calculation: 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per person per month + 100 kWh per month to keep water heated)
- All computations based on a 10 cents per kilowatt (kW) electric rate
- Estimated kWh are based on average estimated consumption of electric home appliances
- While electric rates may vary among electric suppliers, we will use the average of 8 cents per kWh for the above examples
What is a Kilowatt-Hour?
- We pay for electricity in kilowatt-hours (kWh)
- 1 kWh is the equivalent of using 1,000 watts for 1 hour or using a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours
- When these kWh add up, electric bills get higher
- And kWh usage is adding up more and more each year
- According to statistics, the average family’s use of electricity is increasing at a rate of 4% to 7% per year
- If we become more aware of how we use these kWh, we can learn how to use them more efficiently
What Does it Cost to Run My Appliances?
The appliance use chart above shows the most commonly used appliances and office equipment in homes, the average wattage of that equipment and the estimated average cost.
To calculate the exact use of your appliances, or for those not listed in this chart, use the following formula:
amps× volts = watts
watts × hours = watt-hours
watt-hours / 1000 = kilowatt-hours
kWh × 10 cents = estimated cost of using appliance
Calculating Usage at Home
- Look for the serial plate on the bottom or back of the appliance
- It lists the power used in terms of watts (120 watts might be written 120 w) or amps and volts
We will use an electric hand mixer as an example. This appliance requires about 127 watts.
Here is how you would figure its usage for 15 minutes:
15 minutes = ¼ hour, so
120 watts × ¼ hour = 30 watt-hours
30 watt-hours / 1000 = .03 kWh
.03 kWh × 10 cents = .003 cent
- For a larger appliance such as a water heater, remember that it is only running when it has clicked on and is actually heating water
- The time your water heater is on varies according to how much you do laundry, take baths, or run the dishwasher
Let’s say your water heater is on for 3 hours on a particular day (the national average):
4,500 watts x 3 hours = 13,500 watt-hours
13,500 watt-hours / 1000 = 13.5 kWh
13.5 kWh x 10 cents = $1.35
From another angle, you can see that you would be using 4.5 kWh for every full hour that your water heater is on. That means it costs you 31.5 cents per hour.
Use Electricity More Efficiently
There are several things you can do to use electricity more efficiently.
- Your electric furnace, air conditioner and water heater will make up the greatest percentage of your electric bill
- These are the areas in which to concentrate your energy management efforts
- Change furnace filters at least once a month
- Use LED lightbulbs
- Make sure the coils on your refrigerator are clean so it runs more efficiently