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Ever wonder what it costs when you use certain items in your home?
So did we! So, we did the math!
Check out the categories below and find some of your favorite (or least favorite) items. If you don't see what you're looking for in our charts, we have an energy costs calculator below!
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Heating & Cooling
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We start with the greatest of all energy consumers – heating and cooling systems. This will be the largest portion of the energy charge on most bills.
Perhaps we don’t think about it each time we turn up the thermostat, or add one more space heater in the house, but it all adds up. For example, the average home’s electric furnace costs about 58 cents/hour to heat the home. That might not sound like much, unless you multiply the number of hours per day that furnace is running (let’s say 10 hours), then multiply that by 30 days (average billing period). Suddenly, that furnace just cost you $174 in a month.
Solutions:
- Turn thermostats down a couple more degrees – a few degrees can save a few percent on your bill.
- Make sure your system is maintained annually to run at its most efficient.
- Check for any air leaks around windows or doors and seal them up.
- Insulation is critical to help heating and cooling systems work their best.
Little known fact: The second biggest consumer of electricity in your home is your water heater. With average use of a standard 4,000W electric water heater, it’s about $26 of a monthly bill.
Solutions:
- Make sure the thermostat is not set above 120 degrees – not only will this save you energy, but it’s safer for use!
- Take shorter showers – just a few minutes shorter can add up per shower.
- Use cold water in your laundry rinse instead of hot or warm water – this can make a huge difference (more on appliances coming up).
If you are looking at upgrading either of these big energy consumers, we have incentives for ductless heat pumps and heat pump water heaters. Find out more on our incentives page.
Portable heater (1,500W) 8¢/hr Baseboard heater (250W/foot) 1.5¢/hr/foot Heat pump with heat strips 55¢/hr Heat pump without heat strips (1.5 ton) 17¢/hr Electric furnace 58¢/hr Window/wall air conditioner (8,000 BTU) 4¢/hr Central cooling (3-ton, 12 SEER) 16¢/hr Ductless heat pump (500-700W) 3-4¢/hr Electric water heater (4,000W) $26/month Instant water heater (110-volt, 29 amp) $26/month Heat pump water heater (4,500W) $4/month Portable fan (75W) <1¢/hr Ceiling fan (70W) <1¢/hr Amounts are based on averages and estimates, but actual amounts will vary based on make/model, wear/tear, and frequency of use.
Bill examples:
Portable heater 12 hours/day for 30 days: $28.80
10 feet of baseboards 12 hours/day for 30 days: $54
Wall AC unit 16 hours/day for 30 days: $19.20
Portable fan 16 hours/day for 30 days: $1.87
- Lighting
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You’ve probably heard that LEDs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but are you aware of how much?
Myth: LEDs are so much more expensive to buy that it isn’t worth it to upgrade.
Truth: Because of the energy efficiency AND longer life of LEDs, it is WELL WORTH IT to change those bulbs out.
The energy cost of an incandescent light bulb is six times more than an LED! That means the average home could save about $300 per year if 50 bulbs were replaced with LED (if lights are on for an average of 6 hours/day).
Whatever happened to those corkscrew CFLs? Well, they are more efficient than incandescent, but they aren’t safer, due to the mercury they contain. We recommend you get rid of those bulbs, disposing of them properly when possible – certain stores, recycling centers or landfills can do this for you.
Modern LEDs are not like their LED ancestors. We remember when they weren’t very bright, gave off a weird color, were super expensive, etc. But that’s not the case with today’s LEDs – you have many options to choose from, and they are hardly indistinguishable from incandescent bulbs (except, of course, for how much less power they use). They are also safer – they don’t get hot like other bulbs.
Although we don’t have any energy efficiency incentives for lighting, we hope you will get on board! Find more information about the incentives we DO offer on our incentives pages.
LIGHTING
Incandescent bulb (60W) 1¢/3 hrs Incandescent bulb (100W) 1¢/2 hrs CFL bulb (60W equivalent) 1¢/12 hrs LED bulb (60W equivalent) 1¢/18 hrs LED bulb (100W equivalent) 1¢/12 hrs Incandescent 100-bulb holiday lights 1¢/5 hrs LED 100-bulb holiday lights 1¢/30 hrs Halogen bulb (300W) 1.5¢/hr Fluorescent bulb (T8, 32W) 1¢/4 hrs LED equivalent to T8 (17W) 1¢/8 hrs Amounts are based on averages and estimates, but actual amounts will vary based on make/model, wear/tear, and frequency of use.
Bill examples:
The average home has 50 bulbs - if all were switched from incandescent to LED bulbs (and if lights are on an average of 6 hours/day):
$365/year bill reduces to $61/year
A home with ten 100-strand incandescent mini holiday lights switches to LED, with those lights on 24/7 for 30 days:
$18 bill reduces to $3
- Home Appliances, Etc.
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Laundry is among one of the least favorite chores for the average American, and it also happens to be one of the appliances that require the most energy.
Updated, efficient appliances can make a BIG difference on the bill. Nowadays, all the appliances you purchase from a store are energy efficient, some more than others. In fact, home appliances are so much more efficient than they used to be that rebates have largely gone away nationwide – it’s expected that consumers must go with efficient options, so no need to incentivize.
Among those bigger appliance energy hogs, laundry dryers with 3,000W ratings cost you about 16 cents/hour to use. Now that washer – rinse with cold water instead of warm and you could save more than $50/year (if you are doing about 5 loads per week).
Jetted tubs or hot tubs are like an extra large water heater, and use a large amount of energy to work. The exact amount of energy is determined by the wattage of the heater, the pump and how often the hot tub is on.
Minimal energy users: curling irons, robot vacuums, night lights, and sleep apnea machines.
HOME APPLIANCES, ETC
Laundry dryer (3,000W) 16¢/hr Laundry washer, warm wash/cold rinse 12¢/load Laundry washer, hot wash/warm rinse 33¢/load Hair dryer (1,800W) 10¢/hr Curling iron (50W) 1¢/4 hrs Jetted tub 8¢/hr Hot tub heater (3,000W) 16¢/hr 10-minute shower (2.5 gallons/min) 14¢/shower 40-gallon bath 23¢/bath Nebulizer (150W-300W) 0.75-1.5¢/hr Oxygen concentrator (480W daily ave) 2.5¢/hr Sleep apnea machine-CPAP (90W) 1¢/2 hrs Vacuum cleaner (1,400W) 7.5¢/hr Robot vacuum (50W charging) 1¢/4 hrs Iron (1,100W on high) 6¢/hr Night light (4W, 12 hours/day) 8¢/month Electric blanket (twin size) 3¢/6 hrs Aquarium (10-gallon) 65¢/month Level 1 EV charger (1.4 kW, 20-hour charge) $1.45/charge Level 2 EV charger (7 kW, 8-hour charge) $2.91/charge Amounts are based on averages and estimates, but actual amounts will vary based on make/model, wear/tear, and frequency of use.
Bill examples:
Rinsing laundry with cold instead of warm water, 5 loads/week for one year:
$54.60 saved
Reducing length of shower from 15 to 10 minutes, 1/day, for one year:
$25.50 saved
- Kitchen Appliances
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It seems there are never enough outlets or counter space for all the cool kitchen gadgets we can buy today! But which ones can affect your power bill? We looked into a few of them.
It’s probably no surprise that the bigger appliances – refrigerators, freezers, ovens – use the most energy. What might surprise folks is how big of a difference an efficient appliance makes. For instance, upgrading from a standard refrigerator (that one that just won’t die and is a topic of conversation at dinner parties) to an Energy Star certified fridge can save you around $73/year.
Another surprise might be how little energy many of our kitchen gadgets actually use. You’re gonna have to use that toaster to death to really make any difference on your bill. Single-serve coffee makers? You’ll need to make a coffee constantly for at least 30 hours before it will cost you $1.
So, when it comes to making more efficient decisions to lower your bill, it’s not going to be in how you use your waffle iron, but how much you leave that fridge door open. If you have an older oven/stovetop, fridge or freezer, look into the upgrade. And if you have an “energy saver” cycle on your dishwasher, that could cut the appliance’s energy usage in half or better.
KITCHEN APPLIANCES
Range oven (2,500W) 13¢/hr Range stovetop (1,500W) 8¢/hr Microwave (1,000W) 5¢/hr Coffee maker (600-1,200W) 3-6¢/hr Single-serve coffee maker (200-400W) 1-2¢/hr Dishwasher, normal cycle 5-12¢/load Dishwasher, energy saver cycle 3¢/load Toaster (2-slice) 0.1¢/min Waffle iron (1,000W) 5¢/hr Slow cooker (150W on medium) 1¢/hr Electric kettle (1,500W) 0.5¢/boil Instant pot (6-quart, 1,000W) 5¢/hr Air fryer (6-quart, 1,700W) 10¢/hr Refrigerator (frost-free, 15 cu ft) $7.95/month Freezer (manual defrost, 15 cu ft) $4.77/month Mini fridge (2.7 cu ft) $1.80/month Energy Star refrigerator (frost-free, 15 cu ft) $1.85/month Energy Star refrigerator (side-by-side, 25 cu ft) $3.18/month Amounts are based on averages and estimates, but actual amounts will vary based on make/model, wear/tear, and frequency of use.
Bill examples:
Using a range over 1 hr/day for 30 days: $3.90
Using a microwave for 5 mins/day for 30 days: $1.25
Upgrading from standard refrigerator to Energy Star: $73.20/yr SAVED
- Electronics
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Here’s one of the trickier charts we have so far – electronics. So much of it depends on the make/model and particular function of the item before we can really figure out how much energy it consumes.
Our first big note about electronics: Most of them STILL drain a little bit of energy when they are turned off but still plugged in. We call this “phantom” energy usage. To combat this, if you aren’t using your electronics much, don’t just turn them off – unplug them, too.
Streaming our favorite shows and movies is pretty popular, and how much energy it costs depends on two main factors:
- What TV/screen are you using?
- What device are you streaming with?
Watching all 73 hours of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will cost you only a matter of pennies on a LED Smart TV with streaming services built-in, but will cost you about $1 to watch it on a plasma TV through a gaming console.
Speaking of gaming consoles, here’s our second big note: The energy usage depends on the function. For example, just leaving the menu active on a game console will cost you at least a penny for every three hours. Streaming services are about 1.5 to 2 cents for every three hours. And playing graphically-complicated games will cost you at least 2 cents for every three hours on average.
But all told, electronics are typically not your main consumer of electricity in the house. If you are using plasma or older televisions (basically anything that isn’t LED) then that’s your biggest consumer. An LED television is about three times more efficient than plasma. Some desktop computers can slowly drain energy, so keep an eye on them as well.
ELECTRONICS
32" Plasma television 1¢/hr 32" LED television 1¢/3 hrs Smart TV 4K 1¢/day Blu-ray player 1¢/5 movies Nintendo Switch (10W) 1¢/8 charges *Xbox One (70-120W) 1.1-1.8¢/3 hrs *Play Station 4 (85-150W) 1.4-2.3¢/3 hrs Desktop computer (up to 250W) 1¢/hr Desktop computer (idle) 1.5¢/3 hrs Laptop 1¢/2 hrs 17" computer monitor LCD 1¢/2 hrs Amazon Echo <1¢/day Inkjet printer 1¢/3 hrs iPhone 12 (20W) 1¢/10 charges Amounts are based on averages and estimates, but actual amounts will vary based on make/model, wear/tear, and frequency of use.
*Gaming consoles' wattage varies depending on use - navigation screens (PS4 88W/Xbox One 72W), streaming movies/shows (PS4 89W/Xbox One 74W), and playing graphically-complicated games (PS4 150W/Xbox One 120W).
Bill examples:
24-hour Xbox One video game marathon on a 32" plasma television: 38¢
Watching the 2008-2021 Marvel movies and TV series with a PS4 on a 32" LED television (73 hours): 58¢
Desktop computer, idle 24/hrs/day for 30 days: $3.74
- Energy Costs Calculator
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For any other item that uses electricity, you can figure out the approximate cost to use it with the calculator below. Find the wattage of an item (usually on the label or manual), then estimate how many hours you use it per day. The calculator defaults to the average residential energy rate for Okanogan PUD, but if you are in a different rate class (such as small general service) you can change that rate to better reflect your costs. Note that if your residential energy usage reaches more than 2,000 kilowatt-hours in a month, that usage is charged at the higher rate of $0.069 (this tiered structure is being phased out over the coming years).
Want a poster of this information to print and share? Here you go!
