Fun Facts about Power and Energy

Power and energy are integral parts of our daily lives. Yet sometimes we overlook just how much energy we use each day. Here are some fun facts about power consumption in the US!

• The amount of energy Americans use doubles about every 20 years. Electricity consumption is expected to increase 45 percent by 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA).
• Temperature controlling homes (heating and cooling rooms) consumes the most energy in American homes each year. 
• If 10,000 schools turned off their lights for one minute it could save $81,885.
• 20% of the electricity in the USA is produced at nuclear power plants. 

Here is a chart of average consumption figures for small household appliances.

Appliance	Time in use	kilowatt/hours used per year
Aquarium	24 hours/day	700
Central air conditioning	12 hours day,120 days/year	2700-3780
Clock	24 hours/day	36
Clock radio	24 hours/day	44
Clothes washer (does not include hot water)	2 hours/Week	31
Coffee maker	30 minute/day	128
Computer	4 hours/day	520
Dehumidifier	12 hours/day	700
Dishwasher (does not include hot water)	1 hour/day	432
Electric blanket	8 hours/day,120 days/year	175
Fan (furnace)	12 hours/day,120 days/year	432
Fan (whole house)	4 hours/day,120 days/year	270
Fan (window)	4 hours/day,180 days/year	144
Hair dryer	15 minutes/day	100
Heater (portable)	3 hours/day,120 days/year	540
Iron	1 hour/week	52
Microwave oven	2 hours/week	89
Radio (stereo)	2 hours/day	73
Refrigerator (frostfree 16 cubic feet)	24 hours/day	642
Refrigerator (frostfree 18 cubic feet)	24 hours/day	683
Television (color)	3 hours/day	264
Toaster oven	1 hour/day	73
Vacuum cleaner	1 hour/week	38
VCR	4 hours/day	30
Water bed (no cover)	12 hours/day,180 days/year	620
Water heater (40 gallon electric)	2 hours/day	2190
Water pump (deep well)	2 hours/day	730

While power and energy are imperative in our daily lives, Sidram Power reminds you to use it wisely and conserve energy whenever you can!


Source: Energy Aware