What Uses the Most Electricity in a House Canada?

Are you getting hefty energy bills lately? One reason may be the rising electricity costs but another cause could be the power hungry appliances. This blog goes towards identifying which devices or appliances in your house consume the highest amount of electricity. You can learn how usage practices determine the consumption of energy. We have also listed some professional hints to minimize the energy expenses. You can be energy independent in the future and it is all about your decision!

Top Appliance Categories by High Energy Consumption

Your home has multiple appliances that consume different levels of energy. We’ve categorized them from low to high consumption ones. You can easily find out what uses the most electricity in a house. Additionally, get insights on “Vampire Loads” that suck energy as blood from the system.

HVAC (Heating, Cooling & Ventilation)

Drum roll! The highest energy consumption award in the household category goes to HVAC systems. About 40%-50% energy is fed to heating and cooling systems daily on average. In watt terms, the consumption is between 28-63 kWh each day. The heating and cooling system runs for extended hours to maintain the required temperature that leads to high consumption.

Heating systems tend to consume more energy than cooling systems. The difference is about 10-15% in terms of watts. It’s the reason your electricity charge is higher in winters than in summers. Additionally, electric water heaters that are usually not part of the HVAC systems also consume high energy. They account for 12% of daily energy consumption.

Large Appliances (Dryer, Washer, Oven, Fridge)

The second highest energy consumption in a house is by large appliances. They account for about 13% of total household energy consumption. These appliances can include your refrigerator that quietly hums in the corner 24/7. The oven you use to bake fresh cookies also uses a high amount of energy. If you’ve washer and dryer at home, they also consume excess electricity.

• Refrigerator: It takes 162 kWh on average to run a refrigerator throughout the month. The appliance runs in cycles to keep your food fresh. The power consumption is, however, continuous and irregular.
• Oven: Cooking consumes energy in large proportions. An oven that is used one hour a day can result in 75 kwh and 45 kwh energy per month. In case you have an oven that has a cooking top, then you should mark its usage of energy also.
• Dryer & Washer: Doing laundry at home significantly increases your electricity bill. The energy consumption of these appliances depends on your usage habits. If you do laundry less often the consumption will be low. However, the safe prediction is around 3045 watts a month.

Moreover, appliances like ovens and refrigerators also strain the HVAC system in your home. They dissipate heat that triggers excess cycles of the cooling system to maintain the temperature. Same goes for dishwashers and tumble dryers.

Lighting and Small Appliances

A house has several mini appliances such as phone chargers an iron and entertainment. Further each house possesses an immense lighting system. They make up 10-15 percent of the energy used by households in a month cumulatively. Contemporary homes have LED lights that use a smaller percentage of energy than conventional incandescent bulbs. Nonetheless, the conventional bulbs may result in 300kWh per month energy consumption.

The monthly use of other electronics and entertainment equipment will average approximately 55 kWh of electricity use. The gadgets may involve a TV, cable television box, and video game console. Besides, the rest of the gadgets in the house such as your hair dryer, digital photo frame use 1-2 percent of total energy on a monthly basis.

Standby ("Vampire") Loads

To your surprise, vampires do exist today in the form of electric appliances and devices. They slowly suck the energy while pretending to be turned off. By vampire loads, we mean the loads that consume energy on stand-by mode. Here are a few examples of vampire loads:

TVs with remote controls (they stay on low power to detect the remote signal)

1. Microwaves/ovens with digital clocks and LED displays.
2. Laptop/phone chargers left plugged in even when not charging.
3. Game consoles on “instant on” or sleep mode.
4. Printers that remain on standby to quickly receive commands.
5. Set-top boxes, Wi-Fi routers, modems are continuously drawing power.

Combinedly these vampire loads are responsible for 1-2% of total monthly energy use. You need to be cautious and plug out the devices to keep them from consuming energy. Still, there are many other loads that make up our total energy consumption.

How to Calculate Cost of Energy for Each Appliance

You can calculate energy usage of any appliance in your house with a simple step-by-step method. It will allow you to track energy usage. You can see what contributes most to your electricity bill.

Calculation Method

Step 1: Evaluate the power rating of appliances in watts.

Step 2: Determine the number of hours you use the appliance.

Step 3: Divide energy use by day:

Energy (kWh) = Power (W) × Time (hours) ÷ 1000

Step 4: Determine your electricity rate (price per kWh based on your bill).

Step 5: Calculate cost:

Cost = Energy (kWh) x Electricity rate.

Here’s a clear example for you to understand how to calculate energy costs:

Assume that you have a 1000-watt microwave that you use 30 minutes daily and the electricity rate is 15 cents per kilo-watt-hour.

First, time conversion: 30 minutes = 0.5 hours.

Then calculate energy: 1000 × 0.5 ÷ 1000 = 0.5 kWh

Finally, multiply by the rate: 0.5 × 0.15 = $0.075. Therefore, the operating costs of the microwave is approximately 8 cents a day.

Average Energy Consumption of Different Appliances

Here’s a breakdown of energy consumption by different appliances on your house. You can check to roughly estimate monthly energy use and charge.

Additional Considerations

When calculating energy costs you need to be mindful of a number of other factors. It’s not always power rating multiplied by time of use. The first and foremost consideration is peak and off-peak usage. The utility charges you different rates for using energy at different times of the day. If you want exact calculations, you need to account for these changes.

Additionally, appliances like refrigerators and cooling/heating systems don’t run on full power continuously. They kind of stand by when meeting the temperature requirements. So, their energy consumption calculation isn’t simple. You can use this method to get an idea of energy consumption by appliances.

What Influences High Consumption in Appliances

Do appliances consume more energy than usual? Yes, sometimes appliances tend to consume more energy than normal. There are certain factors that come into play. If you control them, you can easily reduce your energy usage.

Changing Weather & Climate

The energy chart usually goes up in summer and winter. It’s because we turn on cooling and heating respectively. Extreme summers strain the cooling system causing high consumption. The same goes for winters that affect the energy usage of the heating system. Other appliance usage is also affected by seasonal variations.

Appliance Efficiency & Life

Today appliances have become energy efficient. They are designed to run with minimal energy consumption. Traditional bulbs and fans that consume about 100-120W are replaced with efficient LEDs running at 10-15W and fans that run on 20-25W only. If you are using old appliances, their energy consumption must be higher than modern ones.

Usage Practices

The way you use your appliances also influences energy consumption. The most common example is with air conditioning. Keeping your AC at 68°F vs. 75°F in summer can almost double energy use. It is also true for other appliances like your water heater and refrigerator. The more strain you put on the appliance the higher energy it will consume.

Expert Tips to Save Electricity Costs

This is the best part of the blog. We will guide you on how to cut energy costs. These tips come from energy conservation specialists. You can implement them right away to see your energy consumption chart drop.

Install Energy Efficient Appliances

Opt for energy efficient appliances. Old appliances consuming too much energy are the greatest contributor of the high energy bill. Even a new 150 watt fridge is much better as compared to an old one that takes 350 watts per day. Progressively renovate appliances with energy efficient machines to cut down the energy bill.

Ensure Offpeaks Usage

The electricity charges are excessive during the peak times. You should postpone your routine chores such as washing, drying, and cooking to save electricity bills. For instance, when you do late night laundry, you would save a lot of money. It is no funny matter since the peak-hour electricity rates may be 20 percent higher rates as compared to the normal rates.. And sometimes swell up to 200%.

Shutdown Standby Loads

As we discussed earlier, vampire loads are sucking up the energy. It’s good to ensure proper shutdown of appliances that go on stand-by mode. You will see a 1-2% drop in daily energy consumption with this practice. When you are done playing, unplug the game console. Do the same for TV, speakers, printers, etc.

Change Usage Habits

You can also make a difference in energy bills with slight change in usage habits. Keep AC around 75–78°F in summer and heating around 68°F in winter. Choose natural lighting rather than turning on bulbs. When washing your clothes don’t use heated water. These good habits can help you cut electricity costs significantly.

GO Solar: Get Energy Independence with BLUETTI

Can you imagine getting rid of all of your energy bills? Or cut energy costs at least by half? It’s possible with solar energy. You only need to install an efficient power station in your house to bypass the need for grid supply. The entire house will run on clean solar energy without a worry or hassle.

The BLUETTI is manufacturing advanced power stations designed to run the entire house load seamlessly. We have special recommendations that you can install and unlock your energy independence right away. This will be surely the best investment to make today!

Apex 300 Versatile Power Station

The BLUETTI Apex 300 is made in such a way that it would guarantee total energy self-sufficiency and decrease electricity costs. It comes with a strong capacity of 2,764.8Wh on its base battery that could be upgraded to 58kWh, which can power devices like fridges, ovens, and even EV chargers. It carries two voltage 120 V / 240 V implying that it can be connected to most home appliances. This is because the batteries are LiFePO4 and are advanced and have a lifespan of 15 years and above with more than 6000 cycles. It is safe and long term in urban houses, rural houses or trailers.

Even the Apex 300 can be smart in saving energy. Its standby uses only 20W, it also has an option that it can be charged during off-peak hours and released during the peak hours that can help in reducing the electricity bills. It is solar powered to help you conserve clean energy. The UPS will keep operating instantly in the event of blackouts. This not only turns out to be an effective strategy of having a backup system but also a money saving strategy in the long term.

BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 Portable Power Station

The BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 is a small household power station. Its capacity is 1, 024Wh and the power output of 1, 800W. This will be enough to supply refrigerators, kettles, microwaves and other appliances. It also offers 3,600W surge power which is handy when one requires to start power tools or large machines. The unit charges very fast. TurboBoost has the ability to charge 80 percent in 45 minutes. Battery life is more than 4,000 cycles which offer more than ten years of battery life. It is a long-term power station that is reliable and durable.

The use of appliances like ovens, heaters and washing machines leaves most households with huge bills. The Elite 100 V2 can help shoulder these costs by making it possible to operate these appliances by solar power. The device operates with a low noise of 30dB. It is also the one that has the ultra-fast UPS feature that provides the safety of WiFi routers and medical equipment in case of interruptions. Elite 100 V2 is not just a backup. It is also a smart way of reducing the bills.

New Trends: Save Energy Smartly

We are living in the AI era. Energy saving is easy and seamless with smart devices. You no longer need to worry about running AC at different temperatures. Every appliance is smart and knows how to save electricity. Let’s explore the new trends.

Home Automation

Modern homes come with complete automation. They come with smart thermostats that learn your schedule and adjust heating/cooling automatically. Just like Harry Potter’s magic wand. The lighting is also automated and turns on when needed. Similarly, smart plugs nib the vampire loads in the bud.

Smart Devices

Appliances are not only energy efficient, they are also smart today. They have real-time monitoring so that you can track usage through apps and control them. Smart meters and dashboards are very helpful in understanding load. You can shift to off-peak hours conveniently and reduce energy costs.

Renewables & Grid Integration

You can get complete energy independence with solar power. The “Smart grids” enable two-way communication. It allows you to sell excess solar power back to the utility. With this approach the electricity costs are significantly reduced. A few years back, grid integration was a day dream but now it’s a reality.

Final Thoughts

That’s all folks. It’s time to conclude the blog. You have now understood who is the true energy hog at home. You can save on energy by following our professional advice. Those who believe that their home is not smart yet have to upgrade it. And you can use our step-by-step guide to compute the energy consumption used by particular appliances.

The best way to get rid of electricity bills is to opt for solar energy. BLUETTI is offering solutions that give you complete energy independence. Get a power station with potential to run your entire house. You can start your off-grid living with peace of mind and utmost comfort!