Although home appliances promote convenience and productivity, many of them consume excessive energy. Knowledge is power. Here are five of the top energy consuming appliances in most homes.
1. Water Heaters
The U.S Energy Department noted that water heaters are responsible for the 12 percent of a home’s consumed energy. The main reason that water heaters use so much energy is because they are in constant use. We use them everyday. They are part of our daily routine – be it showers, laundry, or dishwashing.
2. Microwave Ovens
Anything that outputs enough energy to change the temperature of what inside of it is likely to use a lot of energy. Luckily, microwaves are only used for fleeting moments during the day. But even in those short bursts of energy they consume tons of electricity.
3. Refrigerators and Freezers
Of course, we need them for preserving food and to keep our beverages cold. While modern EnergyStar rated fridges are much better energy users, there are too many old fridges out there that still guzzle power.
4. Furnaces
While it seems impossible to go without using your furnace in winter to heat your home or to use it to blast cooled air from the air conditioner during the summer, it would be nice to go without the large utility bills associated with your furnace. The furnace is often the single largest consumer of energy in a home.
5. Battery Chargers
You would think that pocket-sized devices would consume minimal energy. Due to us leaving our phones on idle while charging means that we often leave the phone charging longer than needed. Phone chargers and other battery chargers are among the top electricity vampires in a home.
Some Tips to Save Energy
- Insulate your home
- Unplug appliances and devices when unused
- Wash clothes and dishes at lower temperature
- Turn off lights when unused
- Prefer new model appliances that are EnergyStar rated
- Have a residential solar design company install a solar panel system