To be effective, saving should be conscious, rational and methodical. An insight into how much energy you actually use, how you can reduce it and measure the results will give a detailed calculation of the energy consumption of household electrical appliances. This is a reliable method that will allow you to find savings where you cannot see them at first glance, and thus spend less without radically changing your habits. Find out how to do this most easily!
How do I find out how much electricity is used by household appliances?
Do you know how much electricity your fridge uses per month? Or the cost of one washing machine cycle? How much will your electricity bill be reduced if you run the dishwasher every other day instead of every day? We often don’t realise how much electricity household electrical appliances actually use. Unfortunately, ignorance translates into looking for savings not where they are potentially greatest, so you don’t see the desired results and quickly abandon your resolutions.
So what can you do to find out how much electricity your household appliances use? Calculate it yourself! All youneed to know is thewattage of a particular appliance and how much 1 kWh costs at your electricity retailer.
The first piece of information can be found on the rating plate of the appliance or in the instruction manual. The wattage of an appliance is given in watts (W), and its value indicates how much energy the appliance will consume continuously for one hour.
For example, a typical power rating for an induction hob is 1200-1800 W, or 1.2-1.8 kW. So if you use it for one hour every day, you will use 1.8 kWh of electricity. Assuming that 1 kWh costs £0.70, you will pay between £0.84 and £1.26 for this.
This does not seem like much, but on a monthly basis it will already be in the order of PLN 25-37. Nor is the induction hob the only electrical appliance you use every day. As long as you manage to reduce the energy consumption of each by just 10%, the savings will be noticeable.
How does the electricity consumption calculator work?
Counting all household appliances and white goods manually can be tedious and it is not difficult to make a mistake. The#ConsumptionofPower online calculatorcomes to the rescue. Its operation is very simple. The calculator offers users ways to estimate their electricity consumption at home.
The first method involves an interactive exploration of a virtual home, where clicking on individual rooms reveals various electrical appliances. The second is a direct search for a specific appliance. Once you have found the appliances you are interested in, all you have to do is add them to your basket – similar to online shopping. In some cases, it will be necessary to enter additional information, e.g. the diagonal screen size, energy efficiency class or model of coffee machine, etc. In the next step, the user is directed to the summary section, where E.ON provides lots of advice and tips on how to reduce electricity consumption.
Please note, however, that the difference between the calculation and the actual energy consumption of a specific appliance is due to various factors, including improper use.
Dusty appliances (e.g. a hoover or a computer) consume more electricity even though they run for the same amount of time. The same happens if their operation is disturbed in some way. This is the case, for example, when you open the fridge very often and let in a lot of warm air, so the fridge has to work harder to restore the original temperature inside. Opening the oven while baking has a similar effect.
Many modern appliances can operate in energy-saving mode while maintaining the same quality. A washing machine or dishwasher in eco mode use considerably less electricity and show the same efficiency in medium soiling. You can do the same with your computer or TV – simply turning down the brightness of the screen will reduce energy consumption. Take this into account if you want your power consumption forecasts to be as accurate as possible.
How do you reduce the power consumption of electrical appliances?
You have no control over rising energy prices, but you definitely have control over what appliances you buy and how you use them. Beingwell-prepared to save money is already half the battle, and if you can put a few habits in place, your electricity bills could drop by at least a dozen per cent.
Here are some useful tips:
- if you are going to replace some white goods or household appliances, invest in energy-efficient models – the higher their energy class, the better. Spending more will save you more money on your bills, especially as high energy class appliances are more durable and better made, so they will last longer;
- switch off appliances that you are not using – many of them still consume electricity even if they are not working or are left in stand-by mode. If you use them infrequently, pull the plug out of the socket. Also remember not to leave smartphone or tablet chargers in the socket;
- keep your appliances in good working order – regular servicing ofyour electrical appliances will increase their energy efficiency and, in the long run, bring you tangible savings;
- limit the use of electrically-powered appliances if their use is not necessary.
Checking your electricity consumption will allow you to quickly identify which household appliances have the highest energy consumption and determine the reasons for high levels. In this way, you will avoid saving by trial and error and instead introduce methods that will give quick results without being too onerous. This is by far the most important part of spending planning!
