How much electricity does appliances use?

Ever wondered just how much electricity does your appliances use? When you in the market for electrical appliances, you should not only consider the actual price of the appliance, but also take note of what the specific appliance will cost in the long run electricity wise. You might be buying a special deal for an electrical appliance, but the appliance might have a tremendous running cost if you look at your electricity bill. You can determine this by looking at the kilowatts the appliance use.

What is a kilowatt?

The amount of energy you use is measured in kilowatt hours which is equal to one kilowatt used over one hour. It shows how much energy is used over time. It is a unit of energy equal to 1000 watt hours.

Below a list of appliances and the wattage they consume:

These wattage are approximate figures. Your actual electricity usage may vary due to the different types of brands and sizes on the market for each electrical appliance. For an accurate estimation, multiply the hours used on the average day by the wattage listed on the appliances, then you will have your daily consumption wattage. This number, you multiply with Eskom’s rate per kWh to calculate your annual cost for the appliance.

Coffee machine:  900 – 1200 Watts

Washing machine:  350 – 500 Watts

Tumble-dryer: 1800 – 5000 Watts

Dishwasher: 1200 – 2400 Watts

Electric blanket: 60 – 100 Watts (depending on size)

Hair dryer: 1200 – 1875 Watts

Portable heater: 750 – 1500 Watts

Iron (clothing): 1000 – 1800 Watts

Computer: 30 – 150 Watts

Laptop: 50 – 75 Watts

Microwave: 750 – 1100 Watts

Plasma TV: 250 – 350 Watts (depending on size)

Bread Toaster: 1100 Watts

Refrigerator: Between 500 – 1400 Watts (depending on size)

Cellphone Charger: 4 Watts