What's using your Juice (KWh content)

[fossyant]

Keeping this thread for what's eating up your electric/gas, rather than general conversation about political issues etc. Also useful for various appliances - what power they are consuming.

Home Office:-

We've two set-ups, my desk space and MrsF's.

Both seem to use about 50w when 'working' - laptop charging, two additional screens and a hub being powered. My setup uses slightly more as both the hub and screens are 'older' when 'working'. On standby, we're drawing about 8w on MrsF's 'area'. Included are some LED lights (transformer), the printer, a desktop PC (off) related 'PC speakers' and a networked external hard drive. This sounds about right in that each individual 'power adapter' maybe drawing 1w (the smart plug uses about 1w).

Son's gaming setup draws about 8w - again fair few power supplies on standby - network hub, 3 monitors, yadda yadda - about 1w each.

Daughter's PC is about 1.6w - again looks like it's the two monitors. She has unplugged her Xbox One and PS4 as she's not been using them - now there have been internet musings that these can use 100w or so in standby unless you select the additional power saving options - worth checking your consoles.

Sideboard downlighter LED's - 6 little Ikea down lighters seem to use about 8w in total - from our sideboard unit (plugged in where MrsF's PC is).

Halogen light - this had 8 x capsule G4 Halogen bulbs, each drawing about 20w, changed (at an expense) for LED 2w - massive saving in power and heat.

So far I haven't found anything leaching power (other than the hot tub and that's switched off), although I have since fitted non-smart power monitors to the Gaming Machines, just to see what they use when 'on' over the period of a week or more - I suspect there will be some surprising figures !.

We've managed to get down to around 20 KWh a day for electric on average over the past few months, but more recently (last 10 days) that's come down to 10 KWh with making sure MORE stuff is turned off. We were 30-40 Kwh which is shockingly lazy - use of dryer for most wash loads, leaving stuff on, oil filled radiator for 'my office' space.

Next, to see what the TV uses - a pain to get to the plug.

 

[fossyant]

Just shows you the 'waste' that can happen by being lazy !

 

[figbat]

The biggest draws at the moment are the 7.2kW EV charger and the immersion heater which is standing in for the temporarily inoperative oil-fired boiler. The washing machine, tumble drier (heat pump type) and dishwasher no doubt add a lot and are in fairly constant use. We don’t have a way of tracking usage (yet) other than the quarterly bill, which comes to about “a lot”.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I got a new fridge/freezer seperates which claim 381kWh/annum between them. When I was recently out for 48hrs and I had everything turned off apart from them, according to the meter they used 2kWh's between them for an annual of 365kWh. I'm quite please for a change something performs better than advertised!

I need to measure my home office next, if I know I'm roughly using 2kWh +/- a bit if I'm in the house with just Fridge/Freezer on I should be able to do by reading the meter at start/end of day.

Office currently looks like:
2 x 24" Monitor
Laptop running/charging (lid down - no screen)
Mainline phone
Mini Hi-Fi + Bluetooth adapter
Kettle

Edit - Added Kettle!

I've only included mains devices, I run some USB chargers from a docking station so anything they use is being accounted for. This is all turned off in full when not I'm working so hopefully I can take a start/end of day reading (probably several over a few days) I can estimate my use there.

 

[steveindenmark]

" Shockingly lazy" is the key word for me here.

I have half a dozen coffees before lunchtime. I invariably fill the kettle up again and again for one mug of coffee.

Jannie has put a stop to it and said I have to fill my flask after the first boil. Its ridiculous how easy it is to save money.

I have had the TV on while typing this. Im not even watching it.

 

[ColinJ]

I got a new fridge/freezer seperates which claim 381kWh/annum between them. When I was recently out for 48hrs and I had everything turned off apart from them, according to the meter they used 2kWh's between them for an annual of 365kWh. I'm quite please for a change something performs better than advertised!

Probably not...

You weren't there so the fridge/freezer doors were not opened in that time There was not the usual regular outrush of cold air which would mean compressors firing up again to rechill the contents. So yes, less power needed, but for less normal use!

 

[fossyant]

We've just changed our fridge and freezer for a mahoosive new combined one. I've no doubt the new one will be much better as the old ones were knackered !

Fairly power hungry in our house, gas isn't an issue, but our use was more than double a large household, and ours is a small house !

During my extended stay in hospital seven years ago, I came out to a massive quarterly bill for electric. Everything had been 'on', dryer, oil filled radiator in conservatory etc etc. whilst I was 'away'.

We've had to look carefully as we were using about £260 a month combined - probably £200 a month in electric at old prices, that's been reduced to £160 at the new prices (which is still high, but halved use). Electric tends to be steady in this house (unless electric heaters go on), gas is mainly winter, and just £15-£20 a month in summer.

Best energy tip, don't get a hot tub or gaming pc or two in the house.

 

[fossyant]

" Shockingly lazy" is the key word for me here.

I have half a dozen coffees before lunchtime. I invariably fill the kettle up again and again for one mug of coffee.

Jannie has put a stop to it and said I have to fill my flask after the first boil. Its ridiculous how easy it is to save money.

I have had the TV on while typing this. Im not even watching it.

View attachment 660941

We've not had a kettle for a week after I tried to kill myself last week (electrocuted). Not missed it. Coffee is either in the stove top pot, or out of the coffee pod machine, which is pretty energy efficient. I fancied a cup of tea at weekend, had to make do with coffee.

 

[presta]

If you haven't already, my recommendation would be to start with a full list of all your appliances, along with a reasonable estimate for the consumption of each one. That way you'll be able to see the whole picture in perspective and make sure you're not sweating the small stuff. The Pareto principle: you can often get ~80% of the benefit from ~20% of the effort provided that you correctly locate the low hanging fruit before you start picking.
This is my list, which I've posted before, but with the basis of the data added. Most are estimates, not measurements, and yet it quite accurately matches the actual consumption now that I've corrected the shower figure to take account of the fact that I don't need it every day now that I don't cycle.

I ought to get in the habit of switching the telly off when I'm sat using the laptop, and stop using Freeview for listening to the radio.

This might also be of interest, it shows how the high power items are not necessarily the ones using most energy:

Just shows you the 'waste' that can happen by being lazy !

Not a clue and don’t really care

It's easy to overlook waste whilst it's easy to afford the bill. The problem with fuel pricing is that there's no flat-rate tariff that will simultaneously allow the poor the essentials and prevent the well-heeled from being extravagant.

 

[vickster]

It's easy to overlook waste whilst it's easy to afford the bill. The problem with fuel pricing is that there's no flat-rate tariff that will simultaneously allow the poor the essentials and prevent the well-heeled from being extravagant.

I live alone and am not especially frivolous but have neither the time nor inclination to monitor in any exacting way. I don’t have a smart meter.
I have however got better at switching the work laptop off at the wall and the spare monitor and turning off lights if not in room.
I generally only have the heating on from late Oct to March for a few hours a day (more if working at home but then I’m not spending £15+ commuting)

 

[steverob]

I haven't got down to the level of working out which individual appliances cost what, but I do know the amount we've used in kWh for the entire house going back ages - had noted down all our meter readings since the year dot, so can compare what we did spend with what we use now.

Went through a bit of a strict period a couple of years ago where I tried to make sure I turned as many things off as practically possible when not in use and got our electricity numbers down to around 9 kWh per day, where they have stayed ever since - doesn't fluctuate much with the seasons either. Gas averages out at 12.5 kWh daily, but that is as low as 4 in summer, 25 in winter (though did see as high as 36 on one very cold month many moons ago).

But then our household probably isn't typical; only the two of us (plus cat) with gas boiler only used for heating and hot water, and most of the time we're out during the day - only working from home once a week each (usually different days).

 

[Ajax Bay]

I have to fill my flask after the first boil. Its ridiculous how easy it is to save money.

View attachment 660941

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I went round unplugging things about two weeks ago. Trouble is, when I plugged the DVD recorder/player back in it went into some sort of update mode, which stuck in freeze, couldn't get anything to work from it. Not a happy bunny! Tried googling, but several answers said it was kaputt (and Sony haven't made these since 2012). Anyhows, I unplugged it again, left it a few days, plugged it back in and it seems to have cured it. Phew, I'll be leaving that connected from now on.
We're not big users in any case, about 7Kwh per day. The oil central heating is more of a worry to me. I recently got some at near enough £1 per litre, whereas I'd normally pay about 45p/ litre (and in July 2022, when no planes were flying, it went down to 22p/ litre).

 

[fossyant]

24h with checking sons gaming PC. Was on for about 5 hours last night, and went through 1.4 KWH, steady 350w. He wasn't gaming on anything intensive

 

[sleuthey]

I never look at my smart meter but it will be the electric shower and fan oven without any doubt.

I have actually built a 5 sq mtr lean too shelter at the back of my house, 3 weeks ago, for the total of £171, to dry laundy in intermittent weather: