Which home appliances and devices use the most energy?

Price comparison and switching service USwitch, has investigated which home appliances have the biggest impact on energy bills, and offers tips on how to use less energy to save money.

To make savings previously, you could switch to a better energy deal with one of the increasing number of green energy suppliers, but this is no longer the case. In the meantime, there are practical steps we can all take to use less energy, help the environment and reduce bills.

The USwitch Power House report will illustrates how much energy everyday appliances use.

WHICH APPLIANCES USE THE MOST ENERGY?

A series of tables lists the cost of different appliances in each room using the average power rating and the cost is based on the current energy price cap.

KITCHEN

We tend to spend most of our time in the kitchen, so a lot of a household’s energy usage is going to come from the various appliances used in cooking or storing food. According to the data, using the hob is likely to use the most energy and cost the most money, whether you’re using a gas or electric version.

The former uses 9.75 kWh which can be extrapolated to a yearly cost of £143.28, while the latter uses 8.58 kWh and costs £126.85 per year. Fridges, freezers and kettles all cost around £75 per year, while the lowest-cost appliance is an ice cream maker, which uses 0.035 kWh and costs 52p per year.

LIVING ROOM

As one of the most-used rooms in the house, living rooms account for a significant chunk of a home’s energy usage as well. According to the data, a built-in air conditioning system in the living room uses an average of 7.29 kWh and costs £106.01 each year.

At the cheaper end of the scale - though they’re being increasingly passed over in favour of streaming - are DVD and Blu-Ray players, which use an average of 0.015 kWh and cost around 22p per year.

BEDROOM

Air conditioning isn’t limited to the living room - when it comes to bedroom comfort, a built-in air conditioning system can be invaluable, especially during a heatwave. While only 3% of the population have one, its average kWh use is 7.29 kWh, which means an average yearly cost of £106.40. During the winter, a plug-in electric heater can be equally useful in ensuring a comfortable night’s sleep, but with average use of 3 kWh, it will cost £43 per year.

BATHROOM In the bathroom, an electric shower uses the most energy according to the data - with an average use of 10.5 kWh, this translates into an average cost of £3.07 per week for UK households. Conversely, a gas shower costs £1.48 on average each week. At the other end of the scale, electric hair straighteners and curlers use 0.0416 kWh each week, translating into a yearly cost of 64p.

GARDEN

Most people don’t necessarily think of gardens having appliances in the same way that kitchens and bathrooms do, but whatever a hot tub or a barbecue might be categorised as, their energy cost is still something to be aware of.

An electric barbecue uses 3.3 kWh, which costs the average household 95p per week or £49.28 per year, while a hot tub is only marginally cheaper at £46.16 per year from an average kWh use of 3.2 kWh. The cheapest garden appliance is a plug-in water feature, which has an average yearly cost of £1.42.

It’s easy to think that small appliances may not have a big impact on your overall energy bill, but surprisingly they can often have the most impact.

•  Turn off electrical items at the plug sockets after use

•  Ensure lights are turned off if rooms aren’t being used

•  Use more energy efficient appliances wherever possible