According to a recent study, 77% of energy consumers took a least one cost saving measure during the spring months due to their growing energy costs.
Many of us will focus on the wrong appliances, however identifying the most power-hungry appliances in your home will help you prevent energy wastage and therefore save money.
In this guide we will help identify some of the household appliances with the highest electricity consumption and suggest ways to manage them more efficiently.
| Appliance | Energy Consumption (kWh/week) | Cost (£/week) | Cost (£/month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Heating | 24 to 32 | £7.20 to £9.60 | £31.20 to £41.60 |
| Tumble Dryers | 10 to 20 | £3 to £6 | £12 to £24 |
| Electric Showers | 9.1 to 11.7 | £2.70 to £3.50 | £12 to £15 |
| Electric Ovens & Hobs | 10 to 15 | £3 to £4.50 | £12 to £18 |
| Washing Machines | 5 to 10 | £1.50 to £3 | £6 to £12 |
| Fridge-Freezers | 8.3 to 66.7 | £2.50 to £20 | £10 to £80 |
| Dishwashers | 7.5 to 12.5 | £2.25 to £3.75 | £9 to £15 |
| TVs, Laptops, Gaming Consoles | 7.5 to 14.5 | £2.25 to £4.50 | £9 to £18 |
Electric heaters and radiators do use a lot of energy, especially during the winter which all adds to your energy costs.
Tumble dryers evaporate moisture using high heat and constant airflow, which consumes a lot of energy. Condenser dryers are even less efficient as the lose heat by expelling it into the surrounding areas, requiring more energy to maintain high drying temperatures
Electric showers heat water on demand using a powerful heating element. Since they are used daily, the overall energy consumption will accumulate quickly.
Unlike gas powered systems, electric showers don’t store hot water which means they need a higher wattage to heat the hot water instantly.
Electric ovens and hobs take time to build up to the required heat setting and older models are less efficient due to their lack of modern insulation. The longer cooking time that is required, the more energy the appliance consumes.
16% of Brits don’t know that unused appliances still consume electricity in standby mode, while 41% only switch them off occasionally. Nearly 31% wish they had known standby mode costs them money.
Frequent use of a washing machine increases energy consumption as every cycle uses a significant amount of energy.
Compressors and fans in the fridge-freezers usually run full time. In an average household they make up 12-15% of the energy bill.
Any inefficiencies, such as overly low-temperature settings, poor door seals, or ice buildup, may cause your fridge-freezers to use more energy.
Due to their high temperature water heating and drying processes, dishwashers need significant power and therefore use a lot of energy. Running the appliance with a half load reduces efficiency as often every cycle uses the same energy regardless of the load size.
Though these seem low impact, even smaller appliances such as these will continue to consume electricity when they’re left on standby mode.
Larger screen TV’s, high performance gaming consoles and some laptops will consume the most electricity.
OLED TV’s will consume the most due to their brightness and colour output and newer gaming consoles also consume more electricity due to the quality of their graphics settings.
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