Electric Appliance Consumption

How much electricity do your appliances use?

Refrigeration, electric water heaters, and lighting eat up more than half of the energy dollars of the average Morrisville Water and Light residential customer.  However, you may be surprised by the amount of electricity that your other appliances use. The chart’s figures are based upon modern, efficient appliance models. Your costs may very depending on the age, size, and model of the appliance; it's location; and how it is used. Older models may use twice as much electricity!

We've highlighted the average home's biggest electricity users on this chart. Please note that the average hours used per month are based on a family of four.

1. Most dehumidifiers are used during the summer in basements. Eliminate or reduce the need for a dehumidifier by keeping basement windows closed, reducing air leakage and covering any bare earth with thick plastic sheeting. 

2. On the average, dishwashers use about 56-kilowatt hours per month for hot water (about 6.782). It is usually more efficient to do full loads in a dishwasher than to wash dishes by hand. Actual savings depends on your dishwashing habits and the type of machine you use. If you have a dishwasher, use the energy saving; no-heat drying option if available.

3. Electric heat and electric water tanks can be the largest users of electricity in the home. The amount of electricity that you use depends on how often you use these appliances. If you have electric heat or an electric water tank, please call Energy Efficiency Utility 1 (888) 921-5990 for program information that could help you save money on your electric bills. These figures do not include hot water used for washing clothes; hot water used for washing dishes (by hand or machine) is included.

4. Water heating accounts for about 90% of the energy used by a washing machine. These figures are based on a warm wash and cold rinse cycle. Use the cold cycle as mach as possible.

5. Keeping a waterbed covered with a comforter can save more than 30%. Insulating the side of most beds can save about 10%.

How to Use Your Appliance Chart 

This chart lists commonly used household appliances. To figure out how much it costs to use them, look in the left- hand column and mark the appliances that your family uses most often.  For example, let’s say you want to know how much electricity your electric dryer uses. Find that appliance on the chart. 

A. To learn how much electricity this appliance uses, look up its average wattage (in column 2). The chart says that an electric clothes dryer uses 5000 watts. Look for the actual wattage on your dryer(usually on a small plate), its manual or packaging. If only the amperage (amp) and voltage (volts) are listed, multiply these two numbers together to determine the wattage.

Amperage x Voltage = Wattage  

B. Multiply the wattage by the estimated number of hours that your family uses the dryer during the month. The “average hours used” column on the chart shows the typical monthly use for that appliance. A clothes dryer is used about 23 hours per month on the average. Your usage may be different. 

5,000 x 23 = 115,000 watts-hours per month 

C. Divide by 1,000. This gives you the electricity used by your clothes dryer in kilowatt-hours (Kwh) per month. Write that figure in the “Kwh per month” column of the chart. Whenever possible, we’ve rounded our numbers up to the nearest whole number. 

115,000 –1000 = 115 Kwh per month  

D. To find out how much this is in dollars and cents each month, multiply the Kwh by the current cost per kilowatt-hour. For Appliances that you use: 

Multiply by .12057¢ if you use around 500 to 1000 Kwh per month  

111 x .12057¢ = $13.87 per month  Write that figure in the “cost per month” column of the chart. 

Note: The figures don't include customer service charges, taxes or other fees. Follow these steps for all of your electric appliances to find out where your energy dollars are going! 

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