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It is not uncommon for people to be interested in finding out how much electricity they consume. This information is even vital as it helps consumers plan Strøm Bruker properly. This could be by implementing cost-saving strategies and/or saving up for the payment of electricity bills.
For example, electricity consumption during certain periods of the day is more costly than consumption during other periods. This is a result of the impact of electricity demand during such periods. You can click here for more information about this.
On the whole, it is very possible to know how much power is consumed. Furthermore, you can also know the various factors that determine how much power Strøm Bruker is consumed. This article sheds more light on that subject. So, ensure that you keep reading to learn more.
Factors that Affect Power Usage and Its Cost
The record needs to be set straight before we delve into this subject. To this end, you should know that power usage and cost do not mean the same thing.
For example, your refrigerator can consume 160 kilowatts per hour in a year. That means that your refrigerator’s Strøm Bruker usage is 160 kilowatts per hour for the year. However, the cost in this context is how much money you would pay for its consumption.
That would depend on the electricity cost at a given time. Having made that clear, discussed below are some of the factors that affect (especially) power usage:
Appliances Used
The number and kinds of appliances used in a household Strøm Bruker determine how much is consumed. By and large, the more appliances available and used, the more power consumed.
Besides having and using appliances, it should be noted that some are more power-consuming than others. To provide a much better perspective, below is a list of some of the very common ones and how much they consume annually on average:
Air Conditioner – Weather and climatic conditions largely determine how much work this appliance does in a year. As a result of this, the location matters a lot. For example, air conditioners would be more needed in the southern parts of the United States than in the Northern parts. But by and large, it is almost safe to say that power consumption for aircon per year is between a thousand and 5 thousand kilowatts per hour
- Refrigerator – It is between a hundred and 8 hundred kilowatts per hour
- LED Television – It is between 30 and 150 kilowatts per hour
- Washing Machines – Although it is quite tricky to figure out how much it consumes considering that it is per load, it is roughly between 350 and 700 kilowatts
- Light Bulbs – This largely depends on the kind that you use. The more energy-efficient LED option consumes around 8 to 20 kilowatts per hour, while the incandescent option takes up around 50 – 100 kilowatts per hour
These are only a few appliances as there are several others. You can visit bestestrøm.no/hvor-mye-strøm-bruker/ if you are interested in finding out the power usage demands of several other household appliances. However, the point remains that the number of appliances and how much they are used is a major determinant.
Number of People in the Household
The number of people that live in a home determines how much electricity would be needed. For example, a family of 5 would have to heat water for 5 people to bathe in during the winter season.
As a result, such a family would consume more than a family with just one kid. As a result, people who live in large households should expect that they would be paying more than people who live by themselves or in very small households.
Usage Patterns
A lot of the regularly used household appliances are not high-power appliances. Examples include LED television, LED bulbs, and a couple of others. On the other hand, some of the high-power options include:
- Air conditioner
- Water heater
- Furnace
- Electric kettle
- Toaster heater
- Clothes dryer
- Swimming pool pumps
- Jacuzzi
- Hair dryer
These are just a few of them found in several homes. The amount of times that these appliances are used seriously impacts electricity usage. This is because they consume a lot at a go.
Appliance Efficiency
The amount of electricity that an appliance consumes is also largely dependent on how energy-efficient it is. Light bulbs as mentioned above are a prime example.
The LED option is very energy efficient. As a result, it would only consume around 8 to 20 kilowatts per hour in a year. On the contrary, the incandescent option is not energy-efficient in any sense. This is given how it consumes around 50 – 100 kilowatts per hour.
The same goes for every other household appliance. As a result, people have to prioritize buying and using energy-efficient appliances. This should be part of their cost assessment and not just the purchase cost.
Appliance Age
Appliances tend to lose their energy-efficient features as they age. This is why a replacement becomes the best decision after some time. Furthermore, more energy-efficient and durable models should be opted for when the need for replacements arises.
Seasonal Variation
Some appliances consume more power than others as established early on. Furthermore, seasonal variation influences the need for some of these high-power appliances, or the lack thereof.
For instance, indoor heating accounts for around 60 percent of consumed power during the peak of the cold season. Water heating for bathing and doing some other things comes next, as it accounts for around 15 – 20 percent of consumed power during such periods.
This means that the demand for electricity decreases during the warm season. For one, this is because there is no need for indoor heating. This is a perfect example of how seasonal variation is an important factor in this context.
TOU (Time of Use) Rate
We did mention how power cost and usage do not mean the same thing. Bearing this in mind, you should know that power cost is not the same throughout the day. There are times when it is cheaper. In the same vein, there are periods when it is expensive.
Understanding the times when electricity consumption is cheap and expensive can help reduce the amount spent on electricity bills. In most locations where TOU rates are the order of the day, it is cheap during the night period between 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. This is because the electricity demand is low as most people retire to bed or are fast asleep during this period.
Contrariwise, electricity consumption during the morning period before people head to work/school is usually very costly. This same applies from the moment people get back from work/school, right until they sleep.
Home Insulation & Ventilation
Artificial regulation of indoor temperature usually accounts for a lot of the electricity consumed in households. During winter, for instance, a lot of consumed electricity goes into heating the indoor space. During summer as well, a lot of it goes into the use of air conditioners.
Well, how insulated and ventilated the indoor spaces are determines how much heating and cooling will be required. As a result, the quality of a building’s insulation and ventilation features is a determinant, as well.
Conclusion
This article has shed light on many of the factors that determine how much electricity is consumed in households across the country. You should know that although these are major factors, the aforementioned list is not exhaustive. Others include factors such as user behavior, appliance maintenance, and the use of alternative power sources.