Running a household can often feel like an endless stack of bills from car insurance to council rates. Energy is the new concern for the average family, so which appliances are the biggest culprits in your home?

Sometimes, the biggest energy users in our homes are not we expect, but with rising electricity costs, most consumers are being wary. For household power consumption, air-conditioning and heating can amount to a large portion of a common electricity bill. Then, you also have to consider cooking, laundering, and any other electrical system in your home. Next time you have everything on in your home, you should check your electric meter to gauge how much electricity is being used.

Energy Rating Systems

For most modern appliances and household items, you can find various energy rating systems that will explain how efficient the device is. This will vary from country to country, but usually takes the form of a star system, with the energy and water usage listed. Some appliances may not have a good energy rating system (such as dryers), but this is unavoidable due to the amount of power these appliances can use.

Kitchen Appliances and Power Usage

The kitchen uses a lot of power, especially because you will be running a refrigerator and many smaller devices. However, using a dishwasher may use more electricity than washing by hand, but it will also use less water. Most of the electrical devices we use in the kitchen are there for convenience, but kettles, toasters, and other small appliances are not huge electricity users.

If you have an older refrigerator, have an electrician check out its power usage, as it could be costing you a fortune. Another option is to turn off everything in your house, except your refrigerator, and then check your meter. Older appliances are best replaced, as they are usually designed with less stringent energy use in mind.

Home and Portable Entertainment

Home entertainment systems and general household devices are not big energy consumers on their own, but the sheer number of devices can add up.

Here are just a few items that are probably using power in your home right now:

• Televisions – While newer televisions (such as LCD TVs) tend to be quite energy efficient, older cathode ray tube-based models vary dramatically.
• Computers – With most households owning multiple computers, the power usage on all these devices can easily increase your power bill.
• Stereos – Not a big power user, but larger systems can certainly add to your bill too.

To save money on your power bill, make sure that you turn off devices when you are not using them. Computers should be set to power-saver mode, which will force them into ‘sleep mode’ at shorter intervals.

Lights

Lights around the home were, for a long time, big power consumers, but a lot has been done to correct this. Energy-saver light globes are not standard in most households, as they replace the older bulbs. Not only are the new globes more energy efficient, but they also last a lot longer with less chance of a ‘pop’ sound, and then total darkness.

If you are unsure of the energy usage of your various appliances, then there are some services that will give you advice on saving energy around the home. You might also want to consider green options, like installing solar panels, so that you can keep on living comfortably without the big power bills.