It’s the computer age, but without electricity that computer won’t work. People love their tech gadgets, but appliances can be huge energy hogs. While people are very aware that heating costs can severely impact a budget, it may come as a surprise that some electrical appliances that are used daily can consume large amounts of energy, especially if they are left plugged in all the time. There are ways to reduce the energy usage from electrical appliances, but first you have to figure which are the ones that can save you the most money by unplugging them.

Old Electrical Appliances Cost Money

It may come as no surprise that your boiler and refrigerator are at the top of the list for energy consumption when you start to answer the question ‘How much energy do I use to run my electrical appliances?’ What you might not realize is that the older the appliance, the more likely that it is using more energy than it needs to in order to maintain your household. For appliances that are a necessity, but that are older, look to upgrade them with newer models that are more energy-efficient. When you calculate the difference in usage saved with newer models, it can bring your household bills down significantly since these types of appliances are on all the time.

Other Surprising Energy Hogs

When you asked the question, ‘How much energy do I use to run my electrical appliances?’ I bet a hair dryer didn’t come to mind. Yet its consumption can rival your clothes dryer in some cases. Ironing your clothes will also be an activity that tends to use large amounts of energy even though it might seem to be such a tiny appliance. Even an aquarium and a coffee maker can be large consumers of energy. Running a vacuum cleaner can be more costly than running your refrigerator, if it were plugged in all the time. In fact, the reason that most people don’t realize that common everyday electrical appliances can be ruining their energy conservation strategy is because they are not on all the time. However, even when they’re not on, they can still be using energy – if they remain plugged in.

Removing Phantom Loads

When an appliance stays plugged in all day, it continues to draw energy despite it not being turned on. This is called a "phantom load." While it will only consume a few extra watt-hours per day, over the course of a month or a year, it can add up. If you want to really tighten your energy usage you can eliminate phantom loads altogether. You can do it the old-fashioned way, by unplugging appliances when they are not in use. If, however, you have many appliances this can be quite a chore every day. The easiest way to reduce phantom loads is to add a power strip to multiple appliances so they can all be shut off at the same time with one click.

What About Your Favourite Electronics?

Most electronics todays tend to be mobile and not plugged in full time. Laptops and cell phones have batteries. You may need to charge them on occasion, but even so they do not draw a large amount of energy. Similarly, televisions and radios are devices that aren’t going to break the bank when it’s time to get your utility bill. Even if you have a desktop computer with many different devices, it’s an ideal setup for a power strip. Not only does the power strip save the computer should your house experience an unexpected power surge, but it can also be turned off to keep phantom loads from frittering away your money at night. So, next time you wonder ‘How much energy do I use to run the electrical appliances?’ do not limit yourself to obvious big appliances. Sometimes, it might be more about your habit of taking a hot shower daily and blow drying your hair afterwards that is actually creating some of those high bills. By carefully reviewing the types of appliances you use daily and adding power strips and keeping track of your usage, you can find ways to reduce consumption and create extra breathing room in your energy budget for the things you really need, like heating.