As colzelectric.com will tell you, being an electrician is about more than just playing with wires and installing power outlets. Indeed, the whole electrical system of your home has been designed to work seamlessly for generations with little to no maintenance, and the same is true of all other buildings. Well, with the exception of the very oldest buildings, which were built before modern standards had a chance to regulate and stem the work being performed.
All of this is secondary to the topic at hand, however. This topic is likely very near and dear to many individuals, including electricians themselves. What is this popular topic, you ask? Why it is the title of this article and refers to the electricity consumption in our homes; more specifically, which systems and devices pull the most power from the grid.
You may have an idea or two about where your energy is most often consumed. After all, specialty outlets like those you see for stoves, washing machines and other household appliances speak volumes about the power they consume. However, the greediest parts of your home do not appear so obvious in retrospect. Let’s take a closer look at the top five things in your home in terms of their average energy consumption.
The Top 5 Energy-consuming Systems in Your Home
Heating & Cooling Systems
Indeed, the very top of the list is reserved for heating and cooling systems. These include air conditioners, furnaces, boilers and the various accessories that complement these technologies. Some of the lesser-known systems include fans, pilot lights and any other part of the systems that could pull electricity to operate.
Water Systems
The second most electricity-consuming device in your average household is the water system. Heating and cooling water is no simple feat, and even the most energy-efficient appliances still must use quite a bit of electricity to be effective. Still, in mentioning energy efficiency, it is worth noting that you can significantly reduce your consumption by switching to newer technologies with the help of a qualified electrician from electrician Monroe WA. In fact, many jurisdictions around the world are offering government-backed incentives to achieve just those ends.
Appliances
Only third on the list is the culprit many points to first, namely our household appliances. Electricians must install higher voltage outlets for these devices as they use so much energy, but they still pale in comparison to the items higher up on the list. Still, reducing the energy used by appliances is easy when you critically examine how you handle them now. Consider reducing the times you open your fridge, for instance.
Lighting
Now we are going into the negligible difference territory. Lighting is often fingered for its electricity consumption because it is so visible, but LEDs have largely made these arguments obsolete. Still, if you are not conscious about turning lights on and off at the right time, you may be unnecessarily wasting energy to keep unoccupied areas lit.
Everything Else
The final item on our list is, well, the rest of the devices in your home. This includes televisions, speakers, video game consoles, kitchen appliances, mobile chargers, dehumidifiers and so on. These devices have all been engineered over and over to reduce their consumption as much as possible, and most of them have done a great job of doing so.