Want to know how to calculate your energy usage? It all comes down to your appliances and how much electricity they use.
Knowing how to calculate energy costs is also a huge benefit if you’re purchasing new appliances in Texas or wish to drill down on your home’s electricity costs.
After determining how to reduce the costs of running your appliances, you can also save money by comparing electricity rates from some of the best light companies to power your appliances.
Want cheap electricity rates in your area? Punch in your zip code below.
After browsing the best rates in your area, you can check the impact of adding new appliances by reviewing your home’s usage at Smart Meter Texas. And be sure to check out our Smart Meters Guide.
What Are kWh?
Before we get into calculating your energy use, you likely want to know: What are kWH?
A measurement of energy use over time, a kWh is the amount of watts consumed per hour. It’s a vital component when calculating your home electricity usage because energy plans charge per kWh.
So, the next thing you need to know is what watts are, and how many watts there are in a kWh.
First, a watt is a unit measuring power or energy. Each device, appliance, or lamp requires a certain amount of watts to function. You’ll find the wattage of each device written on it or its packaging.
A kW is made up of 1,000 watts used in a single hour. Average kWh in Texas are 500 for apartments or condos, 1,000 for small to medium-sized homes, and 2,000 for large homes.
Want to learn more home energy terms? Take a look at our electricity glossary.
How to Measure Electricity Usage by an Appliance
You can easily get an estimate of your monthly electricity usage by calculating the amount of energy consumed by all your electronic devices and appliances.
To do this, you need two numbers: the average number of hours you use a given device every month and the wattage of the appliance.
Say you watch TV for about five hours a day, using 30 days for simplicity, then you usually watch TV for 150 hours every month (5 x 30 = 150).
The wattage of any appliance or device is usually written on a metal plate or label that’s often on the bottom or back of the appliance.
It’s a number followed by the letter “W.” If you can’t find the metal plate or label, you can find the wattage in the appliance’s product guide or documentation. Otherwise, you can try searching for it online by appliance model.
Calculating an appliance’s kWh
Assuming that your TV uses 200 watts, divide 200 by 1000 to get your TV’s wattage in kilowatts (kW). So, your TV’s wattage is 0.2 kW (200 ÷ 1000 = 0.2).
To calculate the monthly electricity usage of your TV in kWh, multiply the number of hours you use the TV monthly by your TV’s wattage in kW. The result will be 30 kWh (150 x 0.2 = 30).
Follow these steps to calculate the electricity usage of any of your devices.
Calculating an appliance’s monthly cost
Now that you’ve calculated the electricity usage of your TV, it’s time to calculate how much it costs you to watch it.
Just multiply 30 by the price you pay per kWh. You’ll find your electricity rate on your electric bill. Assuming you pay 10 cents per kWh, it costs you 300 cents ($3) to watch TV five hours a day every month (30 x 10 = 300).
Knowing how much energy your devices use can help you pick and choose which devices to use and when. This should give you more control over your monthly energy bill.
Another way you can cut down on your energy spending? Enrolling in the cheapest energy plans from the top providers. Enter your zip code below to see plans and rates from the best electric companies in Texas.
Want to learn which devices and appliances use the most energy? Read on!
What Appliances Use the Most Energy?
Knowing which appliances eat up the brunt of your electricity can empower you to cut down on your energy use, saving you money and reducing strain on the grid.
Now that you can calculate your appliance energy usage, you can see that the higher the wattage of your appliances, the more it costs you on your monthly bill.
If you want to consume less electricity and get lower energy bills, it’s best not to use appliances that consume a lot of watts for long periods of time.
For instance, air conditioners and electric heaters consume a lot of electricity. It’s best to turn them off or adjust the thermostats when you don’t need them. This can lead to cheaper electric bills.
And if you have a time-of-use energy plan, AKA a free energy plan, you can also cut your energy bill by using high-energy appliances only during free periods.
To help you plan how and when to use high-energy appliances, here’s a list of appliances and their average wattages.
Air Conditioner Wattage
With the unpredictable and extreme weather the Lone Star State gets, it’s no surprise that your air conditioner unit often accounts for most of your electricity use.
It all depends on the size of your home and your air conditioner unit, but their wattage can generally range from 1,500 to 4,000 watts.
If you want to reduce your energy usage while staying comfortable, consider investing in a smart thermostat. These handy devices can help you adapt your AC use to cut down on your electricity bills.
Many of them also let you adjust your home’s temp from an app. That means, if you forgot to raise the thermostat while you stepped out for work, you can adjust it from your phone and save a little coin.
Dryer Wattage
A clothes dryer is a very popular appliance in many households. It makes drying your clothes fast and easy. But clothes dryers actually require a lot of energy to tumble and heat the clothing.
The average electric dryer wattage ranges from 1,800 to 5,000 watts, and a typical dryer uses around 3,000 watts.
If you want to save on energy, try hang-drying your clothes. Bonus: drying your clothes will save you electricity while also helping your clothes last longer.
Wondering about your clothes washer? They tend not to use as much energy as the dryer. That said, you can cut out some of their energy use by cleaning your clothes with cold water, instead of hot water.
Refrigerator and Freezer Wattages
While freezers and refrigerators use a decent chunk of watts, you’ll find that the exact amount varies quite a bit. Factors that impact this include the type of fridge or freezer you have, the temperature of your house, and how full they are.
The average fridge uses between 300 and 800 watts, and a freezer typically uses 200 to 500. That’s a fairly reasonable amount when it comes to keeping your food fresh.
But what about when you put a deep freeze in the garage? Due to the heat in the average garage, a deep freezer there will consume far more energy. Some deep freezers in garages even overheat and can break prematurely.
Hair Dryer Wattage
Although it’s a small machine, your hair dryer actually uses quite a bit of power.
Note that the wattage of a hair dryer varies according to the mode you set it on: hot, warm, or cool. Usually, any hair dryer will have a label indicating its maximum wattage, which often ranges from 800 to 1,800 watts.
However, if you set your hair dryer to cool, it can use as little as 70 watts. It may take slightly longer to dry your hair, but it will cut out a lot of energy use.
Toaster Wattage
While toast may be the breakfast of champions, your toaster actually consumes a good chunk of electricity.
Most toasters use between 800 and 1,500 watts, with an average toaster use of 1,200 watts. While this seems like a lot, when it comes to toasting bread, toasters are more effective and efficient than using electric stoves or ovens.
So, it’s always better to use them to save on energy.
Calculating Energy Costs to Reduce Your Energy Bill
With this info and some quick tips for energy calculation, you can expect to know how much your electricity bills might be, helping you avoid big bill surprises.
Want to pay less for your electricity usage? Turn off your devices and appliances when you’re not using them. This will reduce your total kWhs and help you lower your energy bill. Check out our other tips for cutting your energy bills.
No matter what appliances you own or your monthly usage, you can lower your bill by enrolling in one of the cheapest energy plans.
We use our bargaining power with providers to offer you special low rates that are usually less than the ones you’ll find on their sites. We also vet energy plans to help protect you from billing surprises.
