The top 5 electricity-hungry appliances in your home

Getting a higher electricity bill than you were expecting can be stressful. In most cases,  a higher Synergy electricity bill is the result of increased electricity consumption for that billing period. This can sometimes happen without you realising how or why – and your household appliances could be partly to blame.

Here’s how your household's electrical appliances may add to your electricity costs and how you could take action towards saving electricity.

 

How could your household appliances impact your electricity bill?

Your washing machine, fridges and freezers and other appliances can add to your electricity costs, even in standby mode. To reduce your demand for electricity and help you to save on electricity running costs, it may help to choose more energy efficient models.

Household appliances that are powered by electricity, compared with other energy sources, may be better for your home and the environment. This is because by choosing electricity over other energy sources (which is known as electrification), you could use more energy efficient technology and in some cases use more renewable energy. 

These five electricity hungry appliances may be increasing your energy bill...

 

Energy hungry appliance #1: Your air-conditioner

Your air conditioning unit could have a big impact on your electricity costs, especially in summer. 

The average central or ducted air conditioning system uses 6,000 watts of electricity every hour which equates to a running cost of around $1.89 per hour.*1 

If your air-con is on constantly during a hot spell (for over 24 hours), this could add up to $45 or more a day to your electricity bill for each hot day.*1

Your air-conditioner may also use more electricity for colder temperature settings, so having a chilly house could also come at a higher running cost.  

Electricity savings tips you could try 

  • On hot days, try to cool your home in other ways before you turn on your air-conditioner. 
  • Pedestal fans generally use a lot less electricity– and you might want to open your house at night if the breeze is blowing. 
  • On those days that only the air-con will do, we recommend setting your air-conditioning thermostat to 24°C in Summer (and 18°C in Winter) and to only use it during the times and in the spaces you really need it.

 

Energy hungry appliance #2: Your plug-in heater

When the mornings are getting chilly, it’s easy to be tempted by cheaper heaters on display at your favourite discount or department store. The price tag might be cheap – but the running costs for that heater could come at a much higher cost over time than a more energy efficient model.

A typical space heater could use up to 1,200 watts of electricity per hour.*2
If you used this to heat your bedroom for 5 hours every night for a billing cycle of 61 days, this could equate to a running cost of around $1.90 per day or $116 per bill*2. 

If every member of your family has their own heater in their room, it’s easy to see how the running cost for each heater could  increase your Synergy electricity bill.

Electricity savings tips you could try

  • When you’re buying a new heater, look for the Energy Rating Label and try to buy an appliance which has the highest number of stars as possible. 
  • Don’t try to heat your whole home at once – just heat the areas you need and try to keep that heat contained in those areas by closing doors.
  • Use throw blankets or look up ‘hygge’ home ideas to give you some Scandinavian inspiration  for how to make your home more warm and cosy.

 

Energy hungry appliance #3: Your clothes dryer

Taking a load of clothes from your washing machine and popping them straight into your dryer can feel like the easiest option on a busy day, but it’s not usually the cheapest or most energy-efficient option. 

Clothes dryers can use a lot of electricity and generally need to be running for a long time to get through one load, let alone the rest of your week’s laundry loads. 

In summer, running your dryer could also make your house even warmer. This could mean you’re tempted to switch the air-con on or lower the thermostat to compensate for the warmer air from your dryer.

Electricity savings tips you could try

  • Use your clothes line as much as you can. Being one of the world’s sunniest and windiest places can make our WA climate perfect for air-drying. 
  • If you live in an apartment or don’t have a clothes line, you could try a drying rack and save your dryer for only those times when you really need to use it.
  • If you have solar power, you could try to only use your dryer during the middle of the day when your solar PV system generally produces the most electricity.

 

Energy hungry appliance #4: Your hot water system

Everybody loves a hot shower – but most homes don’t need to have a lot of hot water ready at all times of day, particularly if you have a solar hot water system.

Hot water heating using a booster switch, if you have one, might account for a lot of your home’s energy costs, especially if you have a solar hot water booster switch which is switched on all the time. This could add to your electricity usage without you realising.

Electricity savings tips you could try 

  • Try to keep your booster switch off during the day and only turn it on when you really need it, instead of keeping it switched on at all times. 
  • Consider using a timer to turn your booster switch on and off during the times of day when you most need extra hot water. 
  • Even if you have a solar hot water system, it can still be a good idea to use the cold wash setting on your washing machine whenever you can, which could help you to save electricity, as well as potentially extend the life of your clothing. Remember to always follow the labels on the items you’re washing. 

 

Energy hungry appliance #5: Your pool pump or water pump

If you have a pool, sprinkler system, pond or water feature with a pump, it might be using more electricity than you realise. For example, an older pump could use much more electricity than the more energy-efficient models available today.

A typical 1.5 horsepower (1100 watts) pump running for 8 hours a day in summer (for a billing cycle of 61 days) could equate to a running cost of $2.80 a day*3 or $171 per bill*3
 
Electricity savings tips you could try 

  • Make sure you have the right size and type of pump for your situation. 
  • Each pool and water pump is different, so check with your pump manufacturer for the recommended amount of time to use your pump over the day or week. 
  • It’s important to keep your pump in good working condition and choose the most energy-efficient model with the highest number of stars on its Energy Rating Label as you can.
  • If you have a solar PV system, then it could be a smart idea to use a timer to run your pool pump in the middle of the day to take advantage of any electricity your solar PV system might be generating. Likewise, if you are on a time of use electricity plan such as Midday Saver, you might be able to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates by running your pump during off peak time periods.

 

Use Synergy My Account to track your energy consumption 

If you have a smart meter installed at your home (also known as Advanced metering infrastructure or AMI), and are registered for Synergy My Account you can see the impact of your appliances as early as 1-2 days after usage.  For example, if you have your air conditioning unit or pool pump running for most of the day in summer, you might want to track how much electricity you’ve used during that time.

If you have a smart meter and Synergy My Account, you can look at your electricity consumption in 30-minute intervals from previous days This way, you can see how much electricity you are consuming and make choices about how frequently you use appliances which are likely to contribute more to your next electricity bill. Even if you don’t have a smart meter installed at your home, you can still use Synergy My Account to monitor your electricity consumption and compare your electricity usage to homes of a similar size and location to yours. This could give you an idea of how your home is tracking and allow you to see if you could reduce your electricity consumption.  

 

Consider your demand for electricity

Demand for electricity across the electricity grid goes up and down at different times of the day. When you’re exploring how to reduce your electricity consumption and manage your Synergy electricity bill, it could help to think about what times you’re using electricity.

If you’re on a time of use electricity plan, such as our Synergy Midday Saver plan, during peak times, you will be charged a higher rate for your on peak electricity consumption, compared with off peak electricity rates. Planning to use your most electricity hungry appliances during off peak electricity times could help you to manage your electricity costs.

 

Where to learn more

A few small changes to the way you use your household appliances could really make a difference to your electricity costs for each billing period. Try our Synergy Energy Tool to find out what makes up your Synergy bill and get tips which could help you to reduce your Synergy bill, on our Energy Saving Tips page.

 

DISCLAIMERS 

* Actual costs of using the appliance will vary depending on a number of factors including the make, model, age and efficiency of the appliance, thermostat settings and how the appliance is used by you. Estimates exclude purchasing and installation costs and other costs associated with the use of the appliance. Costs are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff and based on the average energy consumption of each appliance. The Home Plan (A1) tariff rate of $0.315823 inc. GST is true and correct at the date of publication (01/07/2024)


1 Estimated costs are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff and based on the average electricity consumption of a 6,000 watt ducted air conditioner (Source: Ausgrid's Appliance energy usage guide for typical wattages) Calculations assume daily electricity consumption of 24 hours, at the Home Plan (A1) tariff rate.

2 Estimated costs are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff and based on the average electricity consumption of a 1,200 watt fan heater (Source: Ausgrid's Appliance energy usage guide for typical wattages) Calculations assume daily electricity consumption of 5 hours for 61 days, at the Home Plan (A1) tariff rate. 

3 Estimated costs are estimates only calculated using the current Home Plan (A1) tariff and based on the average electricity consumption of a 1,100 watt pool pump (Source: Ausgrid's Appliance energy usage guide for typical wattages) 
Calculations assume daily electricity consumption of 8 hours for 61 days, at the Home Plan (A1) tariff rate.

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