How Much Electricity Each Item in Your House Uses

1 / 15 Larger portable electric heaters often draw 1500 watts, or 1.5 kW per hour.Its easy to see how fast this adds up. Theres a reason electricians recommend steering clear of heating your home with electricity.

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Portable Electric Heater

Larger portable electric heaters often draw 1500 watts, or 1.5 kW per hour. It’s easy to see how fast this adds up. There’s a reason electricians recommend steering clear of heating your home with electricity.

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Family Handyman

CFL bulb

CFL bulbs will provide 10,000 hours of light and use $10.40 of electricity (at eight cents per kilowatt hour). To get the same output with incandescents, you would have to use seven bulbs, which would cost less up front, but the electricity would cost $48.

Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) is one of the quickest, easiest ways to save money—and a place everyone can start. CFLs use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. This can save you up to $35 in electric costs over the lifetime of each bulb. Switching to CFLs in the five most frequently used fixtures in your house will save about $60 per year, according to Energy Star.

Choose CFLs with the Energy Star label to get the greatest savings. Energy Star products have to meet energy-efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and the Department of Energy. When you shop, keep in mind that light fixtures with dimmers require special CFLs; read the label.

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