Appliances That Use the Most Energy

Every month you promise yourself that you will start saving, and like most homeowners, you may want to begin by reducing your energy bills. Each month, the bottom line still makes you shudder, though.

The reason might be legitimate, but it may also be that you are unaware of which appliances consume the most energy in your home. Another reason could be the question of supply.

What Appliances Cost the Most on Your Utility Bill?

Start by identifying the appliances that cost the most on your monthly utility bill. From there, you can work on more careful energy consumption and even replacement for more efficient solutions.

Here are some of the common household appliances and the amount of energy each uses per hour.

Water Heater

Heating water for washing machines and showers consumes plenty of energy and skyrockets your monthly electricity bill. Consider turning down the temperature setting or reducing your frequency of use.

AC units

Air conditioners are another potent source of energy consumption. Did you know that 46% of energy consumption is due to AC units and room heaters? While these are necessary appliances, you can also consider more energy-efficient solutions, like gas-powered heaters or heat pumps.

Refrigerators

Technology has advanced, and we can see innovative refrigerators appearing that reduce energy consumption. The household appliance is still one of the biggest electricity consumers, though.

Refrigerators are on around the clock, which means it consumes a lot of power throughout the day. Keeping it closed more and not too full of food will help efficiency, too.

Washing and Drying Machines

Washing and drying machines consume more than 10% of the total household energy. While it is almost impossible to live without a washing machine, there are steps to reducing energy consumption, like modifying temperature settings, washing in cold water, using the energy-saving features (such as “fast wash”), and unplugging the machine when it is off.

Appliance Maintenance and The Long Run

Your household appliances are an investment—the better you take care of these items, the longer each will serve you. With proper maintenance, your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and refrigerator will be far more energy-efficient.

When you don’t take care of an appliance, it will use more energy to complete its function. For example, a malfunctioning dryer would need to run multiple times before it completes the desired results.

By following a few simple appliance maintenance tips, your devices won’t use as much energy, and you can save on electricity bills.

Tips for Dishwasher

• Pour a few cups of vinegar into your dishwasher and run the clean cycle
• Repair dish racks
• Clean the seal using a soft brush to clear any dirt from the area

Tips for Washing Machine

• After washing the laundry leave the door open to prevent mold
• Don’t leave wet clothes to sit for long
• Once a month, run hot water on an empty washer to clean the interior

Tips for Refrigerators

• The fewer items in your fridge, the cooler it stays
• Clean the condenser coils regularly
• Set the fridge at the proper temperature (between 37 and 40 degrees for the refrigerator, and 0 degrees for the freezer)

With proper maintenance, you can increase the longevity of your household devices, prevent pumps or filters deteriorating, improve efficiency, and decrease utility bills.

Energy-Saving Tips

There are a few changes you can make at home that could help cut down your average energy consumption, such as using more efficient gadgets and appliances, finding cheaper CT electricity rates, and switching devices off at the plug point when not in use.

Other energy-saving tips include:

• Install a smaller thermostat to make heating more efficient
• Turn down the thermostat (one degree could save up to $100 a year)
• Use efficient appliances–get rid of the old appliances that consume more energy than necessary
• Wash clothes at a lower temperature
• Monitor your usage

Once you identify your most voracious energy-consuming appliances you can take the necessary measures to reduce your electricity bill.