How Much Electricity Is Used? Tips to Monitor & Save -

Have you ever wondered if your household appliances are draining your electricity bill even when they are not being used? If you are someone whose priority is saving money on your electricity bill, you may wonder this quite frequently. Anchor Electric of Florida is here to tell you that the short answer is yes, but we are also prepared to educate you on which appliances draw the most electricity from the grid even when they are powered “off” and what you can do about it.

The US Department of Energy reports that up to 10% of appliance energy usage actually occurs when a device is “off”. Many appliances still drain power from an electrical source to power things such as clocks on microwaves, stoves, and standby lights on your televisions and other electronics. If you want to save electricity, it can help to unplug easily accessed and rarely used appliances.

If you want more specific data on which appliances are using the most electricity, you can use an electricity plug monitor. This device can be plugged into an outlet and you then, in turn, plug your appliance into this device. The plug monitor will then measure and report the amount of energy being used by the appliance. This can help you make decisions about your appliances in regard to your electricity bill. The most common household appliances that use the most electricity are your refrigerator, dishwasher, lighting, electric oven/stove, electric furnace/boiler, television, dryer, microwave, and air conditioner.

Surprisingly, another energy drain and a higher electricity bill can come from faulty wiring, in which electricity “leaks” from the wire and the appliance will pull more power to make up for the lost energy. The issue is often actually with the faulty wiring and not the appliance. With loose connections, heat is generated and this can cause the insulation on wires to melt and burn. Over time, this could cause a fire. Anchor Electric of Florida can inspect your existing wiring and identify any issues that may be potentially hazardous. We can make sure your appliances are operating safely and at full capacity.

If you have any questions regarding your electrical needs, feel free to contact us here at Anchor Electric of Florida and we would be glad to assist you anyway we can!