THE
ENERGY
YOU USE
UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU USE
Home Energy
and You
Looking for ways to save money? We can help.
For Consumers Energy’s residential customers, the average daily cost
for electricity or natural gas is about $3 a day over the course of a
year. When you think about what it takes to heat, cool, light and power
your home and everything in it, that’s a good value!
That’s also less than the daily cost of other typical household
purchases, like a 16-ounce latte, a gallon of gasoline, a fast food
combo meal or a movie ticket.
• Most electronic appliances cost just pennies a day to operate.
You can brew a fresh pot of coffee in the morning, make a bowl of
popcorn in the microwave or watch a movie for less than 10 cents.
29%
Heating
11%
Other
4%
Electronics
17%
Cooling
14%
Water
12%
Lighting 13%
Appliances
Heating
Source: EnergyStar.gov
As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating
and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home’s heating,
ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect
on your utility bills – and your comfort.
Purchase Price
and Operating Cost
Consider both purchase price and operating cost
when buying new appliances.
• More energy efficient furnaces, air
conditioning units and water heaters also
keep overall home energy use lower while
maintaining comfort.
• T hanks to new technology, ENERGY STAR®
appliances such as refrigerators and
televisions also use much less energy
than previous models.
Today, many electronic items must be
frequently charged or remain in standby
mode using small amounts of electricity
when not in use. This also can increase
the total energy you use.
When making appliance decisions, it’s
important to decide how you spend your
energy dollars, and choose the most
energy-efficient appliances.
Money Savers
Big Spenders
Microwave
Electric oven/stove
Ceiling fan
Air conditioner
Shower
Bath
Cold water
Hot water
Other heavy energy users
Hot tub • Water bed heater • Pool heater
Electric Home Appliances
1
Appliance
Average Wattage2Cost3/Hour
Appliance
Heating
Average Wattage2Cost3/Hour
Lighting
Electric furnace (2,000 sq. ft.) 26,500
$3.26
Night light5<1¢
Space heater (medium)900
11¢
Standard incandescent60
1¢
Waterbed heater1,100
16¢
CFL (60-watt equivalent)
<1¢
Cooling
Televisions and Video Games
Central Air Conditioner3,500
Air conditioner (Window)
13
43¢
900-1,440
11¢ to 18¢
75
1¢
Ceiling fan (48 inch)
42” LCD
91-2361¢-2¢
42” Plasma188-4641¢-6¢
High definition cable box45
1¢
Video game systems70-200
Major Appliances
Clothes dryer4,400
1¢-2¢
Other
54¢
Washing machine Heating the water is most of the energy use
Cell phone charging
Oven (350°)
Coffee maker900
Refrigerator (compressor)
2,000
25¢
200-700
2¢-7¢
Water heater3,800 47¢
11¢
Dehumidifier785 10¢
Hair dryer
Toaster (4-slot)
451¢
Desktop and 17” Monitor150-340
2¢-4¢
Sources: ENERGY STAR (http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/estimatingappliance-and-home-electronic-energy-use), Department of Energy (DOE)
http://buildingsdatabook.eere.energy.gov/TableView.aspx?table=2.1.16
1
<$1 for year
1,200-1,875
15¢ to 23¢
Microwave1,44018¢
Computer
Laptop
Varies
Vacuum
1,440
18¢
1,000-1,440
12¢ to 18¢
Wattage will vary by appliance model, age, brand and other factors.
The wattage values listed are estimates.
2
All costs are estimates and based on the 2014 January-June Average Retail
Residential Electricity Price of 12.3¢/kWh from the U.S. Energy Information
Administration. Rates may vary by the size of your household, age and model
of the appliance and how often it’s used.
3
How to Measure
Your Electric Use
Electricity is measured in units of power called watts. Because a watt
is such a small unit of electricity, our electric meter measures your
energy use in kilowatt-hours. One kilowatt-hour equals 1,000 watts
used for one hour.
Appliances with higher wattage ratings use more
electricity than those with lower wattage ratings.
For example, a 1,100-watt room air conditioner uses more electricity
than a 100-watt ceiling fan.
Don’t see the appliance you are looking for?
Calculate your energy use cost using the equation on the right!
Typically you can find watts, voltage and amperes on the back of your
appliance.
How to Figure
Operating Costs
To find out how much it costs to operate your appliances by the hour,
follow these simple steps. You also can purchase a device that allows you
to plug in your appliance and determine the energy use and cost.
1.
F ind
the wattage rating on the back or bottom of
your appliance. If the wattage rating is not given,
multiply the amps by the volts to find the watts.
Example: a microwave rated for 6 amps and 120 volts uses
720 watts of electricity an hour. 6 amps x 120 volts = 720 watts
2.
3.
Energy-Saving Tip
Turn down the heat. You’ll typically save
1 percent to 3 percent on your heating
costs for every degree you dial down.
Divide
the appliance wattage by 1,000
to convert watts to kilowatts.
720 watts divided by 1,000 = .72 kilowatts
Multiply
the kilowatts by 12.3 cents
(the typical cost per kilowatt-hour for electricity).
.72 kilowatts x .0123 = .09 (rounded off)
The cost to use a 720-watt microwave oven
for one hour is 9 cents.
Key
W = Watts
V = Voltage
A = Amperes
kW = Kilowatts
W = V x A (W / 1000) x Electric Rate per kWh (.123) = Cost per hour
Save on
Energy Bills
Find 100 ways to save on your
energy bill and learn about rebates
and programs for energy efficiency.
ConsumersEnergy.com
2000 10/14