To get specifics regarding your energy usage, you only need one tool, really: an electricity usage monitor that tells you exactly how many kWh a device or appliance is drawing. The monitor can be as simple as a “plug load” monitor that plugs into an outlet; then you plug the device/appliance into the monitor.
How do I know if my appliance is using too much electricity?
If you suspect one of your appliances of using excessive amounts of electricity, find out for sure with a wattage tester, such as the Poniie Watt Tester (available from Amazon). Simply plug your appliance into the tester, plug the tester into the outlet, and then run the appliance as usual for 24 hours.
How can I tell what is draining my electricity?
Use an energy monitor
At time of writing, the most reliable technique for measuring your energy consumption is to get an energy monitor. These are devices that monitor the energy usage of an appliance when you plug that device in.
How do I find out how much electricity an appliance uses?
Calculate your energy consumption
If you want to work out how much energy an appliance uses in a day, then all you have to do is multiply the device’s wattage by the number of hours you use it. So, if you have a 150W television that’s on for five hours of the day, that’s 750 watt-hours per day.
What appliances pull a lot of electricity?
Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves.
Does a fridge or freezer use more power?
A freezer usually uses more electricity than a fridge because it takes more energy to maintain colder temperatures and to change liquids to solids. But if a fridge is very inefficient or if the fridge door is often opened, then the fridge might use more.
Is my fridge freezer using too much electricity?
For freezers, the recommended temperature is -18C. Fridges should run at about 5C. If your appliance is more than 10 years old, check the temperature and listen out to see if it is running all the time. If it is, then there is probably something wrong and you could be running an unreasonably high electricity bill.
What pulls the most electricity in a house?
The Top 5 Biggest Users of Electricity in Your Home
- Air Conditioning & Heating. Your HVAC system uses the most energy of any single appliance or system at 46 percent of the average U.S. home’s energy consumption. …
- Water Heating. …
- Appliances. …
- Lighting. …
- Television and Media Equipment.
What makes your electric bill high?
One of the main reasons your electric bill may be high is that you leave your appliances or electronics plugged in whether you’re using them or not. … The problem is, these devices are sitting idle, sucking electricity out of your home while waiting for a command from you, or waiting for a scheduled task to run.
What uses electricity overnight?
The biggest culprit is probably your heating and cooling system, which you don’t usually want to turn off entirely at night. Other things, like the refrigerator and freezer, also need to keep running. However, there are some items in your house that are simply draining energy for no good reason.