What Appliances Use the Most Energy?

What Uses the Most Electricity in a House?

In most homes, the heating and cooling systems, water heaters, laundry machines, kitchen appliances, lighting, and electronics use the most electricity. Appliances, specifically, account for the majority of electricity usage in a house.

Fixr published an infographic with home electricity usage by appliance data provided by the EIA, which shows that seven types of appliances account for nearly 70% of energy consumption:

• Space heaters: 31.6%
• Water heaters: 13.5%
• Air conditioners: 12%
• Refrigerators: 3.9%
• Clothes dryers: 3.2%
• Lighting fixtures: 2.7%
• Home entertainment devices: 2.7%

Among these devices, the top three represent 57.1% of home energy consumption. In this article, Quick Electricity will provide tips on how to lower the energy usage of your appliances.

How Many Watts Do Appliances Use?

Without going through every appliance in your home, here are a few of those that use the most watts:

• Air Conditioner (Central): around 2,000-5,000 watts
• Water Heater: around 3,000-4,500 watts
• Clothes Dryer: around 1,800-5,000 watts
• Oven: around 2,000-5,000 watts
• Refrigerator: around 100-800 watts

Home Appliances that Use the Most Energy

1) Space Heating Systems (31.6% of Energy Consumption)

Space heaters come in both electric and fuel-fired versions, with natural gas being the most common heating fuel. You can save on heating costs by ensuring your home is properly insulated and airtight. According to the US Department of Energy, setting back your thermostat by 10°F for 8 hours per day can reduce heating costs by up to 10%.

If you’re willing to make a larger investment, consider upgrading to an energy-efficient heating system. You can look for an electrical heat pump with a high Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) or a gas furnace with a high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE).

2) Domestic Hot Water Systems (13.5% of Energy Consumption)

Water heaters are also available in electric and fuel-fired versions. Regardless of the energy source, you can typically save on hot water costs by upgrading from a tank-based heater to a tankless model. As an alternative, you can also find tank-based heat pumps that offer a high efficiency.

Upgrade your plumbing fixtures to save on water heating. If you use less water, you will also consume less energy heating it. Plumbing fixtures with the US EPA’s WaterSense label provide water savings of 20% or more.

3) Air Conditioning Systems (12% of Energy Consumption)

Space and water heaters have the highest energy usage in US homes overall, but many of them run on natural gas or other fuels. Considering only electricity consumption, air conditioning is the highest expense for many homeowners – especially in Texas and other southern states with hot summers.

The same recommendations given for space heating apply to air conditioning: You can save on cooling costs by ensuring your home is property insulated and setting the thermostat slightly higher. You can also upgrade to a newer air conditioner with a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER).

4) Refrigerators (3.9% of Energy Consumption)

Refrigerators consume less electricity than air conditioners, but there’s a catch. While air conditioners are only needed during the warmer months, your refrigerator runs year-long.

• A refrigerator operates more efficiently with proper maintenance, which includes cleaning its coils regularly.
• You can also achieve significant savings by upgrading a higher-efficiency unit with the ENERGY STAR label.

5) Clothes Dryers (3.2% of Energy Consumption)

Reducing the energy consumption of a clothes dryer can be difficult since it performs an essential function. However, there are three general tips that can help:

• Air-dry your clothes when weather conditions are favorable.
• Use a lower heat setting when possible.
• Clean the lint filter regularly.

Electric clothes dryers typically have much higher energy costs than gas-fired dryers. If your unit is electric, consider upgrading to a gas model with the ENERGY STAR label.

6) Lighting Fixtures (2.7% of Energy Consumption)

An individual light bulb consumes little power, but there are many bulbs in your home. When you consider that light fixtures are used for many hours each day, their electricity usage can add up. You can reduce your lighting costs significantly by following two recommendations:

• Upgrade to LED light bulbs with the ENERGY STAR label.
• Use automatic lighting controls to ensure your light fixtures are only switched on when necessary.

7) Home Entertainment Devices (2.7% of Energy Consumption)

Similar to light fixtures, entertainment devices use little power individually. However, energy costs add up when you consider the multiple devices in your home, which are used for many hours each day. Plus, if you’re wondering what appliances use the most electricity when turned off, note that TVs, game consoles, and computers are among them.

Since electronic devices consume only a small amount of standby power, plugging and unplugging them daily may not be worth the effort. Instead, you can use smart power strips to disconnect these devices when not in use.

Conclusion

A typical home contains many appliances that use electricity or natural gas, but most of your consumption can be attributed to a handful of devices.

• Space heaters, water heaters, and air conditioners have by far the highest energy consumption among home appliances.
• Refrigerators, clothes dryers, lighting fixtures, and entertainment devices also consume more energy than many other devices.

To complement your energy-saving measures, consider switching to an electricity plan with a lower kilowatt-hour (kWh) price. This way, you’ll use less electricity and pay less for it.

Quick Electricity can help you compare energy providers in Texas. Enter your ZIP code below to find the lowest electricity rates in your area.