How Much Energy Do I Use - Energy Education by OhmConnect

Saving energy during OhmHours starts with understanding your home's electricity usage. Here's how North American residential electricity usage consumption typically breaks down:

Energy Usage in Your Home

Home Cooling

• Turn off central AC 3.50 kWh.
• Turn off window A/C unit 0.50 - 1.50 kWh.
• Turn off central fan 0.30 kWh.

Example: Turn off central A/C, central fan, and one large window A/C unit on a hot day = 5.3 kWh savings

How to automate: connect a smart thermostat

Home Heating

• Turn off space heater 1.32 kWh.
• Turn off furnace fan 0.30 kWh.

Example: Turn off central heating and 2 space heaters on a cold day = 2.94 kWh savings

How to automate: connect a smart thermostat

Lighting

• Turn off 10 60W bulbs 0.60 kWh.
• Turn off 10 14W fluorescent bulbs 0.14 kWh.
• Turn off 10 7W LED lightbulbs 0.07 kWh.

Example: Turn off all 30 incandescent bulbs in your house = 1.80 kWh savings

How to automate: connect smart light bulbs or lamps to smart switches

Water Heating

• Don't use hot water + avoid running heater for 15 minutes 1.13 kWh.
• Put heater on smart plug + avoid average usage of 7.5 minutes per hour (most water heaters run for 3 hours/day) 0.56 kWh.

Example: Taking a hot shower, running a load of laundry and the dishwasher would have caused your heater to run for 1 hour. You do these things after the OhmHour = 4.50 kWh savings

How to automate: If your water heater is electric, put it on a smart plug so it won't heat water during OhmHours.

Refrigeration

• Put fridge on a smart plug or unplug it (the FDA reports a fridge keeps food cold for 4 hours if the door is kept closed) 0.10 - 0.23 kWh.

Example: Turn off two average-sized fridges for an hour = 0.30 kWh savings

How to automate: Put your refrigerator(s) on a smart plug

Entertainment

• Turn off entertainment system (TV, cable box, video game system) 0.24 - 0.48 kWh.
• Turn off 2 desktop computers 0.06 kWh.
• Unplug 2 laptop computers 0.16 - 0.24 kWh.
• Turn off stereo system 0.03 kWh.

Example: Unplug entertainment system and use 2 laptops on battery = 0.54 kWh savings

How to automate: Plug your entertainment system into one power strip and put it on a smart plug.

Laundry

• Avoid running clothes washer for 1 hr 0.26 kWh.
• Avoid running clothes dryer for 1 hr 2.79 kWh.
• Avoid running iron for 15 min 0.28 kWh.
• Avoid running vacuum for 15 mins 0.14 kWh.

Example: Instead of running washer & dryer for 1 hour, wait until after #OhmHour = 3.05 kWh savings

How to automate: Put a smart plug on your dryer in case you forget about the OhmHour, and finish the drying later.

Kitchen

• Avoid running electric oven at 350 degrees for 1 hr 2.00 kWh.
• Avoid running dishwasher for 1 hr 0.33 kWh.
• Avoid running microwave for 5 min 0.13 kWh.
• Avoid running toaster for 5 min 0.09 kWh.
• Avoid running coffee maker for 5 min 0.08 kWh.

Example: Wait on baking those brownies and doing the dishes until after the OhmHour = 2.33 kWh savings

How to automate: Put your electric oven on a smart plug.