Which household appliances use the most electricity to run and what steps can you take to help reduce the costs?
- What Household Appliances Use The Most Electricity in the UK?
- How Do You Calculate the Amount of Energy Used By An Appliance?
- Which Appliances Use the Most Energy?
- How Much Energy Does a Kettle Use?
- How Much Energy Does a Microwave Use?
- How Much Does a Large Screen TV Use?
- How Much Energy Does a Single Lightbulb Use?
- How Much Energy Does a Tumble Dryer Use?
- How Much Energy Does a Washing Machine Use?
- How Do You Calculate the Energy Cost Of An Appliance?
Which household appliances use the most electricity and cost the most money to run?
With the ongoing energy crisis more and more UK households are looking for ways to reduce their energy use as much as possible.
Educating ourselves is a great place to start.
By being aware of the most energy-consuming appliances, you can change your behaviour and opt for more energy-saving tactics.
Appliances Using the Most Energy Key Points:
Wet appliances use the most energy on average e.g. washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers account for around 14% of annual household energy use.
There are many practical steps you can take to reduce your energy use:
Opt for energy-efficient appliances rated with the highest label of A using the energy rating system.
Employ a smart meter that will allow you to see your energy use and change your habits.
Use 'eco-mode' on appliances that have the option.
Don't leave your appliances on standby mode.
When boiling your kettle only use as much water as you need.
For more energy-saving advice, see our complete guide here.
What Household Appliances Use The Most Electricity in the UK?
In the infographic below we have divided the most energy-consuming appliances by category and type, along with the estimated annual running costs.
#1 Wet Appliances
So-called wet appliances i.e., washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers are responsible for around 14% of the average electricity consumption, giving them the number one spot.
The fact that they utilise water heating is the major contributor to them using the most amount of energy.
#2 Cold Appliances
Fridges and freezers are the following major contributors to the average household's energy use, accounting for around 13% of the total on average.
The main reason cold appliances like freezers use the most electricity is due to them needing to be on constantly - 365 days a year.
#3 Consumer Electronics
In the current year, almost all of us use our computers, TVs, and laptops on a daily basis.
As a result, consumer electronics aaccount for around 6% of energy consumption.
To save more, remember to turn off standby mode and opt for efficient models where possible.
#4 Domestic Lighting
Light accounts for around 5% of our total household energy use.
One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of energy your lights use is to transition to LED light bulbs.
To illustrate, if you replaced all of your bulbs with LEDs you could save as much as £65 a year.
#5 Cooking
Cooking is the last major contributor, responsible for around 4% of total energy consumption.
This includes kettles, ovens, toasters, and microwaves.
You can save money by using more efficient cooking methods like the microwave and only heating the amount of water you need.
How Do You Calculate the Amount of Energy Used By An Appliance?
You use the following formula to calculate the energy used by an appliance:
Power rating in kilowatts x hours used per day = kWh per day.
Recommended reading:
Which Appliances Use the Most Energy?
The general rule is that the appliances that have more moving parts use the most energy, for example, tumble dryers, washing machines and microwaves.
In fact, the Energy Saving Trust breaks down the most energy-consuming appliances into five distinct categories:
Wet appliances – use 16% of total energy bill costs.
Cold appliances – use 12% of total energy bill costs.
Consumer electronics – use 7% of total energy bill costs.
Lighting – uses 6% of total energy costs.
Cooking – uses 4% of total energy costs.
How Much Energy Does a Kettle Use?
The average kitchen kettle is around 3,000 watts and uses around 0.11kWh to heat 1 litre of water, which is equal to 26p for 4 cuppas.
How Much Energy Does a Microwave Use?
The average microwave is 1,000 watts, so costs around 52p for an hour of running time or 9p for 10 minutes, pretty expensive compared to some of the other appliances on the list!
Energy Help Guides:
How Much Does a Large Screen TV Use?
An LCD TV, which is equal to around 120 watts consumes 0.12 kWh, so if it's turned on for 8 hours = 48p per day or 6p an hour.
However, if you have a plasma TV, these are around 350 watts on average, so consumes 0.35 kWh, so if it's turned on for 8 hours a day, it will cost £1.44 or 18p an hour.
How Much Energy Does a Single Lightbulb Use?
A non-energy-saving 100W light bulb uses around 0.1kW an hour, which would cost 5.2p an hour to use.
That means that ten 100W light bulbs being used at once would require 1kW, which would cost 52p an hour.
It's for this reason that we recommend using energy-efficient LED light bulbs as they use a fraction of the electricity and therefore cost much less.
For instance, LED light bulbs, have typical wattages of between 4 and 20 watts.
How Much Energy Does a Tumble Dryer Use?
You may not be surprised to discover that the average tumble dryer is a whopping 2,500 watts and so costs £1.30 an hour or 22p for 10 minutes.
Related reading:
How Much Energy Does a Washing Machine Use?
The average washing machine is 2,100 watts, which is equal to 2.1 kWh, working out at about £1.09 per hour or 17p for 10 minutes.
How Do You Calculate the Energy Cost Of An Appliance?
You use the following formula to calculate the energy cost of an appliance:
kWh per day x unit cost = cost of electricity each day.
For example:
Suppose you had a 500W (0.5 kW) tumble dryer and operated it for the entire day (24 hours). It will use 12kWh of electricity (e.g. half a kilowatt every hour).
So, if your electricity costs 52p per unit(which is the new price cap from October), then multiply 12kWh by 52p and you get a grand total of 624p, or £6.24.
As mentioned previously, we used the 52p figure based on the new energy price cap for electricity that will be enforced from October 1st 2022.
However, since these figures change so often, these figures will need to be adjusted at regular intervals.
