What’s Making My Electric Bill So High? Five Surprising Energy Suckers
We all know the usual offenders: the fridge, the air conditioner, the heater. If there were a prison for appliances that used tons of energy, these guys would be lifers.
But what about the innocent-seeming gadgets you’d never suspect were sneaking off with lots of electricity?
Here is a list of surprising energy suckers that are probably plugged into your walls, wreaking invisible terror on your utility bill. We apologize for any shock or dismay this might cause you.
Plasma TVs
The screen is like liquid color, the sound like a symphony orchestra in your living room, the power usage…much higher than you probably thought.
Plasma TVs get really hot, which is a sign of the extra large electricity Slurpees they’re gulping down while you’re sitting there watching high-definition Monday Night Football. Here are the alarming figures: A typical 27-inch CRT TV uses around 110 watts. An LCD TV uses about 200 watts. A plasma TV: 325 WATTS!
It almost makes you shudder at that crystal clear resolution.
Digital Picture Frames
So, somebody probably got you this for Christmas or something, because a picture frame that flips through a whole bunch of family favorites instead of being stuck on just one is the perfect gift, right?
Maybe if your house is hooked up to its own personal solar power plant.
This millennial gadget may add less than ten bucks a year to your utility bill, but if everyone household in America had one, it would take five medium-sized power plants to keep them all going. (So says the Electric Power Research Institute.) That’s a lot of energy!
DVRs
No, not the DVR!
Sad, but true: Over the course of a year, DVRs and other set-top boxes take up the same amount of energy as your 28-inch CRT television. The problem is that these little boxes are always on, which makes their relatively humble energy consumption much higher than it could be.
The solution? Maybe switch the thing off when you’re done recording your soaps.
Aquariums
We don’t want to discourage you from giving a family of goldfish a home, but you shouldn’t take this leap without full knowledge of the energy commitment you’re making. Your average aquarium drinks in about the same amount of electricity each year as your computer or your dishwasher.
Not a truly flagrant energy offender, but probably more power-hungry than you realized.
Coffee Makers
How bitter is the taste of betrayal!
Sadly, the beloved little machine you trust for your daily energy boost has been taking jabs at your energy bill behind your back. Coffee makers percolate on about 900 to 1,200 watts!
Since we obviously can’t do without this appliance, consider switching off the warmer (instead of accidentally leaving it on until your coffee tastes like burnt toast) and never making more java than is justified.
We hope this list of surprising energy offenders has been helpful (and not too traumatic). Remember, if your electric bill is too high too often and you can’t figure out why, call in the pros at Wes Carver Electric!