Have you ever wondered how much energy your appliances use? I began to wonder this after receiving several huge electricity bills. We live in a tiny apartment, I thought, there’s no way we are using that much!
I immediately started to research ways to reduce energy use (and hopefully reduce our bill). After awhile, I started to notice all of the items we have plugged in for hours a day: microwave, wifi router, cell phone charger, etc. I was worried that not only were we wasting energy but it was costing us as well.
The Kill A Watt
Luckily, I was able to perform a very basic DIY energy audit of some of the appliances in our home. I used a device called a Kill-A-Watt which I checked out from my local library (budget and environmentally friendly). The Kill-A-Watt is an in-home electricity use monitor that is designed to measure the energy use of any appliance. You simply plug the device into the wall outlet and then plug the appliance in question into the Kill-A-Watt device. From there you are able to see how much the device is using in Watts, Hz or Kwh (kilowatt hours).
I plugged in all of the devices and appliances we have and measured, in watts, how much each appliance was using when it was off and on. Before this test, I thought my Vitamix was sure to be the biggest energy using appliance. I also thought that the electronics that are kept on all the time, like the wifi router, were contributing a lot to our total usage.
Over the course of a couple days, I measured all of the appliances that I used and measured anything that could be plugged into an outlet.
Appliance | Watts |
Tea Kettle | 1430 |
Microwave | 1360 |
Vitamix | 400-800* |
Toaster | 760 |
Diffuser | 8 |
Computer | 28 |
LED String Lights | 3.3 |
Stereo System | 16.6 |
Wifi Router | 3.3 |
Small Fan | 31.3-73* |
Phone Charger | 6 |
Alarm Clock | 1.4 |
Curling Iron | 84.7 |
PS3 | 105 |
TV | 31.3 |
*depending on level
Results
I was surprised to learn that my Vitamix wasn’t the biggest power sucker but even more surprised to discover the 2 top offenders! The electric tea kettle and microwave used the most watts by far. I was shocked that my little toaster used more than most of the Vitamix settings.
Another thing to keep in mind is how you use these items as well. I use my toaster for about 2 minutes each week and my Vitamix a couple times a week. However, my dear SO likes to keep the fan on all night. It only uses 31.3 watts on the low setting but it is on for roughly 8 hours per day, every day – yikes!
In my little experiment I also realized that of all the devices I tried, all but one did not use energy when turned off. The only appliance that sucked power even when there was no display on the screen was the microwave! When the microwave was plugged in but completely off, I measured 4 watts of electricity. Turning the microwave display on did not even increase the usage by a single watt – it was simply a matter of having the microwave plugged in.
I also found out that devices like a laptop or cell phone continue to suck energy if they are plugged in and already have a full charge. So when you keep your phone on the charger all night, it continues to draw energy. Instead of leaving my phone plugged in while I sleep, I’ve started to charge my phone in the mornings or evenings. I am then able to unplug it when it is finished charging to save energy.
What can you do?
I try to adhere to the following guidelines:
- Unplug laptops and cell phones when they are fully charged
- Unplug your microwave (if possible) until you use it
- Turn off appliances (like TVs and gaming systems) when you are not using them
- Challenge yourself to use non-necessary appliances less (like hair straighteners)
After my experiment, I am now a lot more aware of the energy each appliance takes when I use it. I also religiously try to turn off all of the appliances or devices we don’t need. I am constantly turning off the PS3 when it is not being used!
Next Steps
If you want to go further than this, there are companies that can provide professional energy audits of your household. They go beyond appliance energy use and focus on the larger uses of energy such as heating and cooling. Contact your local utility company to see if they provide resources for more extensive energy audits.
Did any of the appliances on this list surprise you? Are there certain appliances that you thought would be higher or lower energy consumers?
Share your thoughts below!