How Many Watts Does It Take To Run a House? Find Out Here

How Many Watts Does It Take To Run a House? Find Out Here

With the ever-increasing demand for energy, more and more people are looking for ways to power their homes without relying on the traditional grid. One option that is becoming increasingly popular is using a generator. But before you can do that, you need to determine how large the generator’s capacity has to be.

As per reports, the per year electricity consumption of an average American household is 10,800 kilowatt-hours, meaning it requires 1,233 watts instantaneously. However, this number can sometimes go up to 10 kW or more. So, how do you calculate the watts required to power your home? This blog post will cover all aspects in detail with examples. Let’s get started.

how many watts does it take to run a house

Factors Affecting Average Consumption Of Electricity

Several factors will affect how much electricity your home uses daily. These include:

  • Size Of House: The size of your house will directly impact how many watts you need to run it. A larger home is going to require more electricity than a smaller one.
  • Number Of People In The House: With more people in the house, more lights and appliances are being used. This means that you will need more watts to power everything.
  • Number Of Appliances: If you have a lot of appliances, they will use more electricity than if you only had a few.
  • Type Of Appliances: Some appliances use more electricity than others. For example, a fridge uses more watts than a lamp.
  • How You Use Your Appliances: How you use your appliances also affects how many watts you need. For example, if you leave your lights on all the time, they will use more electricity than if you turned them off when you weren’t using them.
  • Climate: The climate you live in will also affect how much electricity you use. If it’s hot outside, you may use more fans or air conditioning, which will use more watts.

The Average Watts Used In American Households

Now that we’ve gone over some factors that affect your usage, let’s look at average consumption numbers.

  • Starting with a report stating the average energy consumption in a household was approximately 10,800 kilowatt-hours in 2015.
  • To put this into perspective, if we take that yearly energy consumption and divide it by 12 months, we get an average of 901 kilowatt-hours consumed each month.
  • We can further break this down by taking the average daily consumption and dividing it by 365 days. This gives us a rate of approximately 29.59 kilowatt-hours per day.
  • Now that we have an average daily consumption, we can convert this number into watts. To do so, we take 29.59 kilowatt-hours and multiply it by 1,000. This gives us 29,590 watthours – the energy consumption of watts that occur in 24 hours.
  • Dividing this number by 24 hours gives us the average wattage required to power a household, which is 1232.9 watts.

As a result, we can say that the average number of watts needed to power your home in the United States is 1,233.

However, it’s important to remember that this number fluctuates based on the appliances used and how many watts they require. The average will also change depending on the time of day and year. For example, energy consumption is typically higher in the winter due to the usage of heaters.

electrical output

How Many Watts Are Used By Different Appliances?

Some appliances in your home use more watts than others. Here’s a look at some common appliances and how many watts they use:

1. Kitchen

Some appliances in your kitchen, like refrigerators and freezers, stay on for long periods. Others, like ovens and microwaves, are used intermittently but can still pull a significant amount of energy.

  • Microwave: 800 watts
  • Refrigerator: 500 watts
  • Oven or Stove: 2,800 watts

2. Living Room

While appliances in your living room may not use as much energy as some of the other appliances in your home, they can still impact your overall usage.

  • TV: 50 to 200 watts
  • Light bulbs: 10 to 60 watts

3. Heating And Cooling

Heating and cooling appliances are generally some of the most energy-hungry in the home. With that in mind, here’s a look at some common heating and cooling appliances and how many watts they use:

  • Heat pump: 2,000 watts
  • Space heaters: 1,500 watts
  • Electric water heater: 1000-1500 watts
  • Central air conditioning: 3,500 watts
  • Window air conditioning unit: 950 watts

4. Laundry

To wash and dry your clothes, you’ll need to use appliances that pull a significant amount of energy. However, how often you use these appliances will heavily affect their impact on your monthly bill.

  • Washing machine: 900 watts
  • Dryer: 3,000 watts

5. Miscellaneous

Various other devices and appliances around your home use electricity. Here are a few more that could affect your overall usage:

  • Computer: 50 watts
  • Phone charger: 5 watts
  • Wi-Fi: 10 watts
  • Hair dryer: 1,800 watts
  • Electric vehicle charger: 7,200 watts
  • Treadmill: 650 watts
  • Peloton: 50 watts
combined wattage

FAQs

1. What’s The Best Time To Use Electricity?

Off-peak hours are the best time to use electricity if you want to save money. That’s because electricity demand is lower during these hours, and utilities charge less for power. Also, some utilities offer time-of-use plans that give discounts for using electricity during off-peak hours.

2. Is It Cheaper To Run My Air Conditioner In The Evening?

It depends. Some utilities charge more for electricity during peak hours, usually in the afternoon and early evening. So if your air conditioner is a heavy energy user, it could be cheaper to run it at night when electricity rates are lower. Also, some air conditioners have timers that let you set them to turn on and off at certain times. This can help you save money by using electricity during off-peak hours. The starting and running wattage of electrical appliances also matter.

3. How Can I Save Money On My Electricity Bill?

There are a few things you can do to save money on your electricity bill:

  • Use Energy-Efficient Appliances: Energy-efficient appliances use less electricity than standard models. They often have an Energy Star label, which means they meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Replace Incandescent Light Bulbs with LEDs: Traditional incandescent light bulbs are inefficient, converting only about 10% of their electricity into light. LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs are much more efficient, using up to 90% of the electricity they consume to produce light. They also last much longer than incandescent bulbs, so you’ll save money in the long run.
  • Install a Programmable Thermostat: A programmable thermostat can help you save money by automatically setting your home’s temperature to match your schedule. For example, you can set it to lower the temperature when you’re away at work or school and raise it when you come home.

Conclusion

Considering factors and usage, the average homeowner can expect to spend 2,000-3,000 watts per month. Energy-efficient appliances and practices can help lower this number. The best way to save money and energy is to understand how much power your home uses and find ways to reduce your usage.

Do you have anything else to add? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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