The energy crisis and high electricity prices have forced people to look for new ways to save. In order to reduce your electricity bills, it is worth taking a closer look at which electrical appliances are the most demanding at home and adjusting your habits.
Specialists of the energy management company “Schneider Electric” have created a list of electrical devices that consume the most electricity at home and calculated how much each of them affects our electricity bills.
50-70% of the electricity bill is made up of heating and cooling equipment
“Heating and cooling equipment, such as air conditioners or pumps, account for the majority of electricity used in homes. The monthly electricity consumption of these equipment can be 50 to 70% of the total electricity costs, depending on whether the equipment is used for heating or cooling. For heating, these equipment consumes much more energy than cooling,” notes Erik Mazlevskis, digital sales engineer at energy management company Schneider Electric.
According to E.Mazlevska, water heating boilers can be given the second place in the list of devices that consume the most electricity. If the water heated by the boiler is used for showering, washing dishes, laundry, its consumption can reach approximately 12% of the annual cost of electricity in the house.
“For example, if an electric pump with a capacity of 6 kW is used to heat a house of about 75 square meters, it can “eat” about 30-60 kWh of electricity in one winter day, and its average monthly electricity consumption will reach about 900-1200 kWh. Considering today’s electricity prices on the stock exchange (0.355 cents), home heating will cost approximately 320-430 euros. The electricity consumption of an electric water heater depends on the size of the family and the amount of hot water consumed. However, on average, this device consumes around 400 kWh per month, or around 142 euros,” calculates Ē. Mazlevski.
The electricity consumption of these devices can be reduced by carefully monitoring their use. For example, when leaving home for a long time, it is recommended to activate the “vacation” mode of the air pump, reducing the heating temperature. It is also possible to turn off the water boiler so that it does not use electricity to heat water every day when no one is using it. However, it is not recommended to lower the boiler water heating temperature below 60 degrees for daily use, because the life-threatening legionella bacteria can survive at a temperature of 20-50 degrees Celsius.
How much electricity do other household appliances consume?
On average, a washing machine consumes about 2-5%, a dishwasher about 2-3%, and an electric stove and oven – about 8% of the household’s annual electricity consumption. The amount of energy consumed by these electrical appliances depends on how often they are used. Frequent washing with the steam function and cooking in the oven can increase the electricity bill.
An oven on for an hour will add about 80 cents to the electricity bill, and a washing machine, if set to wash at a high temperature, up to €2.20.
It is possible to reduce electricity costs by using only a fully loaded washing machine or dishwasher, and even more efficiently – to operate them at night, when the electricity tariff is lower (in the case of a two-time zone contract with the electricity supplier).
Home electronics – computers, digital video recorders, televisions, stereo equipment – consume an additional 4-10 kWh per day or 120-300 kWh per month. “It can cost up to 100 euros. These devices are usually connected to the network at home and consume electricity even in standby mode,” emphasizes Ē.Mazlevskis.
Lighting and the refrigerator consume about 20% of electricity
Home lighting accounts for about a tenth, ie about 10-12% of monthly electricity costs. Consumption can be even higher if incandescent bulbs are used instead of LEDs. Home lighting is probably the easiest thing we can control without leaving lights on in other rooms. Bills can be further reduced by installing motion or occupancy sensors, which prevent electricity from being wasted when indoor lighting is not needed.
A refrigerator that is continuously connected to the electricity grid consumes as much electricity as lighting. A standard refrigerator with a freezer consumes approximately 150 kWh of electricity per year, or slightly more than 50 euros.
However, according to the expert, the energy consumption of the refrigerator can also be higher if it is placed very close to the wall, in a corner where there is no air circulation, or in a very warm room. It will also use more electricity if overloaded.
“The refrigerator will work more efficiently if it is only three-quarters full, so it would be worth checking every week whether there are any expired products left in the refrigerator. Another reason for the higher electricity consumption of the refrigerator can be a layer of dust on the condenser coils or a layer of ice in the freezer,” notes E. Mazlevskis.
How much does a luxury like a heated pool or jacuzzi cost?
It is possible that heated swimming pools or jacuzzis are not so common in private homes in Latvia, but those who plan to install an oasis of water pleasure in their homes should familiarize themselves with the following additional costs.
“Powerful 500-1000 W pumps are used in swimming pools. On average, a pump consumes about 12 kWh of electricity per day, but about 360 kWh per month, or more than 127 euros. On average, a jacuzzi consumes about 2 euros per day – about 3.5 – 6 kWh, but it is important, where it is located – if it is located in an unheated room or outdoors, the electricity consumption will be even higher,” says a Schneider Electric specialist.
How to reduce electricity bills?
According to E.Mazlevski, you can save money by replacing old household appliances with higher class equipment. However, if it is not possible to do this, it is worth identifying the “thieves” of home electricity by conducting a small audit of the electrical devices in the home. After finding out the power of each device, you can calculate how much electricity each device consumes per month and year. However, using simple arithmetic, it can be difficult to determine which household appliances use an abnormal amount of electricity.
“This task is made easier by the annually improved smart energy management technologies, which help not only to keep track of how much electricity each electrical device consumes, but also to reduce energy wastage. An innovation has recently appeared on the Latvian market – Schneider Electric’s energy monitoring device “Wiser energy”. It installs in your home’s electrical panel along with wireless sensors that keep track of how much electricity each appliance in your home is using.This device also has a smart app that provides real-time, detailed energy consumption data for your home appliances right on your smartphone, as also monthly, weekly, daily or hourly reports. In addition, this system allows you to follow the indicators of the produced electricity – this is especially relevant for those people who have installed solar power plants,” says Ē.Mazlevskis.
