Common Electronics and Typical Wattages

Below is a table of common household electronics and typical wattages along with examples of estimated costs. This is just to give you an idea — your usage and costs will vary based on the actual wattages of your devices, their conditions and your family’s energy habits.

Your costs may vary based on factors including the number, wattage and age of your electronics, household size and your usage habits.

What goes into an electric bill? Watts. 

The typical home has dozens of electronics, each with their own power needs. The electric meter records all of the power they use over time, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and that’s used to calculate your bill.

Ok, what’s a kilowatt-hour? It’s actually pretty simple: 1,000 (kilo) Watts used for one hour.

1 kWh =

• One 1000W appliance used for one hour
• Ten 100W bulbs used for one hour

Controlling Costs

Once you buy an electronic device, there’s another cost: the energy you buy every time you turn it on. These are the keys to buying less:

• Conservation - turn off lights and electronics when not in use
• Efficiency - choose lighting and electronics that require less energy to operate

 
Just like an old car uses more gasoline, an old appliance uses more electricity. But new appliances can vary a lot in their energy needs. An ENERGY STAR® clothes washer uses 25% less energy and about 33% less water than a standard model. Be sure to check the EnergyGuide labels found on most appliances to compare the estimated energy costs. When you choose an energy efficient appliance or device, you’ll benefit from savings for years to come.

Estimating Energy Use

Here’s a simple formula for determining the monthly energy use of an electronic device:

Wattage x Hours used per month = __ kWh
1000

Example:
The LED equivalent of a 100W incandescent bulb uses only 18 watts. If it’s on for three hours a day over a month, it will use 1.6 kWh. The 100W bulb would use 9 kWh. That’s over 80% more energy for the same amount of light!

18W x 90 = 1.6 kWh
1000

Estimating Energy Cost

To estimate the monthly cost of a device, simply add one more factor to the formula above:

Wattage x Hours used per month x Price per kWh = __ Approx. cost
1000

Below is the approximate monthly cost for that same 18W LED bulb mentioned above. This example uses 21 cents per kWh, but you can figure out your own price by simply dividing your last bill amount by the number of kWh you were billed for.

18W x 90 x $0.21 = 34 cents
1000

The 100W bulb would cost $1.89. That’s a savings of almost $19 a year simply by changing one light bulb. Imagine the savings from an energy efficient refrigerator