We’d be lost without our appliances and electrical devices these days. It’s practically impossible to imagine life without warmth, lighting, computers, or video game consoles, but none of these things are free. When you add up the power output of all our devices and appliances, how much power do we use?

What Uses the Most Electricity?

An electrical contractor can help you determine how much you use. Over 50% of a typical home’s energy is needed for heating and cooling the tenant’s area, 18% for heating water, and 6% for lighting, according to the Department of Energy. Electricity use can further be broken up as follows:

  • Kitchen appliances: 26%
  • Air conditioning: 15%
  • Lighting: 9%
  • Televisions: 6%
  • Tumble dryers: 4%
  • Computers equipment: 2%
  • Other (including chargers, standby power, etc.): 37%

How Much Power Does the Average US Home Use?

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the average annual power consumption for a household utility user in the United States in 2020 was 10,715 kilowatt-hours (kWh), or roughly 893 kWh per month. Louisiana had the greatest annual electricity use per residential customer at 14,407 kWh, while Hawaii had the lowest at 6,446 kWh. The question is how much can you save?

COVID-19 has impacted our lives and caused us to spend more time at home than usual. Working from home involves using a computer and printer; staying engaged requires turning on TVs, tablets, and game consoles significantly more frequently than usual. Your electrical contractor also has more work during these times.

Does Unplugging Appliances Save Electricity?

Even while not in use, many electronic appliances consume power. They are probably fine if they have a simple mechanical on/off button, but so many products these days have a little circuit that is always on and ready to react when a button or remote is touched.

Then there’s everything that has a built-in clock or a memory for settings. We aren’t talking about a lot of power here, but they employ it at all times of the day. According to the US Department of Energy, unplugging appliances can save you $100-$200 per year.

Anything that produces heat uses more electricity and we use more electricity during lockdowns. If you want to save electricity, speak to your friendly electrical contractor or electrician.