Energy costs
by the numbers
For your home
Everything that you turn off and on costs money — but just
how much? The charts below will help you understand the
average energy cost to use common household appliances
and equipment.
Average
energy use
Cost*
per year
• Standard
5885.5 kWh
$630.76
• EE tankless
5374.1 kWh
$575.95
• EE heat pump
2659.8 kWh
$285.06
• Standard
261 therms
$254.34
• EE tankless
183 therms
$178.33
• Standard furnace
16321.1 kWh
$1,749.16
• Baseboard
12059.5 kWh
$1,292.44
• EE air-source heat pump
7499.6 kWh
$803.75
• EE ductless heat pump
7273 kWh
$779.46
• Standard furnace
703 therms
$685.07
• EE furnace
614 therms
$598.34
• Fireplace pilot light
75.6 therms
$73.67
• Fireplace logs (low hours of use)
54 therms
$52.62
• Standard (8 hours/day)
1408.2 kWh
$150.92
• EE (8 hours/day)
704.4 kWh
$75.49
• Standard (24 hours/day)
2730 kWh
$292.58
• EE (24 hours/day)
1365 kWh
$146.29
Heating and water heating***
Electric water heating
Natural gas water heating
Electric heating
Natural gas heating
Furnace fan motor
Appliances, electronics
and lighting
Average
energy use
Cost* per
month
22.9 kWh
14.25 kWh
$2.03
$1.26
45.8 kWh
12.9 kWh
25 kWh
$4.06
$1.14
$2.21
Cable or satellite TV box
• Sleep/on mode
24 hrs per day (HD/DVR)
• Additional boxes (HD receiver)
TV** (6 hours/day)
• Plasma TV
• ENERGY STAR® 42” LCD TV
• Standard 42” LCD TV
Computer and monitor*** (3 hours/day)
•
•
•
•
17” flat screen monitor (LCD)
17” standard monitor (CRT)
Laptop
Routers
8.33 kWh
15.25 kWh
8.33 kWh
29.1 kWh
$0.74
$1.35
$0.74
$2.58
Gaming console** (4 hours/day)
2.9 kWh
Hair dryer (10 minutes/day on high) 7.5 kWh
Clothes washer (7 loads/week, cold/cold)
$0.26
• Energy-efficient (EE)
• Standard
3.3 kWh
3.9 kWh
$0.29
$0.35
• Electric
• Natural gas
100 kWh
5 therms
$8.86
$4.87
Vacuum (1 hour/week)
Dishwasher
Natural gas cook top stove
Electric stove
4.8 kWh
$0.43
30 kWh
2.9 therms
$2.66
$2.83
• Burners
• Oven
22.5 kWh
20 kWh
$1.99
$1.77
50 kWh
75 kWh
$4.43
$6.64
3.6 kWh
1.44 kWh
14.4 kWh
$0.32
$0.13
$1.28
$0.66
Clothes dryer (5 loads week)
Refrigerator/freezer
• EE
• Standard, 10 years old
Lighting (8 hours/day)
• 15-watt CFL bulb
• 6-watt LED bulb
• 60-watt incandescent
Get specifics
There are a number of online resources that can give you
a more accurate picture of energy costs and savings tips
based on your unique usage patterns:
• myPSE account: pse.com
• Home Energy Saver: hes.lbl.gov
*
**
***
Source for water heater usage: U.S. Department of Energy.
Electronics like TVs, DVD players and game consoles can consume
power even when not in use. Plug these items into a power strip that you
can switch off when not in use to prevent standby energy use.
Costs are based on average PSE residential rates for electric service
($.088594 per kWh [first 600 kWh] and $0.107172 [remaining kWh]) and
natural gas service ($.97449 per therm) as of February 2013. Rates are
based on usage of 1,000 kWh per month and 68 therms per month.
These rates do not include the basic monthly charge.
4343 01/14