Who Steals Electricity in the House: 6 Most "Greedy" Appliances

Household appliances that are plugged into the network continue to operate in standby mode. Over a month, this adds up to a significant amount on your electricity bills.

If you unplug electronic devices, you can not only save money but also protect your equipment from sudden voltage spikes.

Television and Digital TV Set-Top Box

Almost every apartment has at least one television. Many of them are located not only in the living room but also on the kitchen or bedroom. Even when you turn off the TV with a remote control, it still runs in standby mode and consumes electricity.

A single 'turned off' TV uses about 25 watts per day. It is usually connected to a digital or satellite TV box. Both devices are not unplugged from the power grid and consume 150–200 watts per day. That adds up to about 6 kWh a month.

Computer and Laptop

The same situation applies to desktop computers. This device consumes approximately 100 watts per day if it is plugged into the socket. That’s about 3 kWh a month. A laptop uses slightly less – around 70 watts per day.

If you leave the computer and laptop in standby mode overnight, the amount of electricity consumed will double.

Refrigerator

This is another household item that no apartment or house can do without. A constantly running refrigerator consumes 750 watts per day, which is about 22–23 kWh a month. Unlike the computer and TV, you cannot unplug a refrigerator from the power grid.

The higher the temperature in the kitchen, the more energy the refrigerator will consume to function. Therefore, it is better to place it away from the oven and stovetop.

Electric Kettle

Surprisingly, this small appliance uses the most electricity. It requires a large amount of energy to quickly boil water. An hour of kettle use can steal up to 3 kWh per day.

Microwave Oven

On average, microwave ovens consume 1–1.5 kWh. It’s important to understand that the appliance will not always run at such high power levels. Much depends on the selected operating mode. For instance, rapid heating uses about 0.6 kWh, defrosting needs 0.5–0.8 kWh, and warming a dish can be done with just 0.1 kWh. The oven operates at full power when the control knob is set to maximum.

In standby mode, a microwave oven consumes around 3 watts per hour – the exact amount depends on the model.

Washing Machine

In standby mode, it can steal up to 30 watts per day. If you frequently run the washing machine with only half load, energy consumption will be higher.

However, overloading the machine is also not advisable as energy consumption increases significantly.

Chargers

These devices consume little power – only about 1.5 watts per day. Every day, we use several chargers at once: for a smartphone, tablet, fitness band. Usually, we leave them plugged into the power grid. This habit is not only expensive but also dangerous!