Where DOES IT GO? ELECTRICITY USE AT HOME.
Air conditioning and lighting consume 1/3 of all electricity used in an average US home.
Other electricity-hungry appliances include electric hot water heaters, refrigerators, televisions and related equipment, space heaters, and clothes dryers. Appliances that create heat or run all the time tend to consume the most electricity.
For more details, see this chart ("purchased electricity") from the US Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook 2014.
Other electricity-hungry appliances include electric hot water heaters, refrigerators, televisions and related equipment, space heaters, and clothes dryers. Appliances that create heat or run all the time tend to consume the most electricity.
For more details, see this chart ("purchased electricity") from the US Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook 2014.
ELECTRICITY USE BY APPLIANCE
Managing Your Energy Costs: An Energy Use Guide is a free brochure from ComEd that lists average electricity consumption for different kinds of appliances. It gives you a good sense of the relative electricity use of different appliances -- e.g., a 1990s era refrigerator consumes three times the electricity of a newer Energy Star model.
Download a copy by clicking the picture to the left.
Download a copy by clicking the picture to the left.
The Kill-A-Watt meter measures how much electricity your particular appliance uses.
It can help you decide if it's time to replace an old appliance with a newer, more energy efficient one. If you do so, be sure to check out rebates and incentives from ComEd and People's Gas.
It can also show you just how much electricity you save by changing your behavior -- e.g., washing clothes in cold water instead of hot.
It can be ordered from most local hardware stores.
It can help you decide if it's time to replace an old appliance with a newer, more energy efficient one. If you do so, be sure to check out rebates and incentives from ComEd and People's Gas.
It can also show you just how much electricity you save by changing your behavior -- e.g., washing clothes in cold water instead of hot.
It can be ordered from most local hardware stores.
HOW TO USE LESS
There are many ways to decrease your electricity use at home -- from changing your behavior to selecting energy efficient appliances to using non-electric alternatives. For specific resources see "Use Less, Lose Less".