common appliance power usage -- some actual numbers

[flarkblark]

I recently bought a Kill-a-Watt wall-outlet power meter,
and I thought I would share the results of my going through
the house and testing each device. For all you folks
thinking about going solar, these data may help confirm
or deny what the solar-panel company has already told you
if they offered estimates about typical power use.

Item Watts
------------------------------------------------------
21 inch TV 85 W
Espresso maker 835 W (two shots = 0.06 kWh)
Cable modem 6 W
Wireless transciever 6 W
Computer speakers+woofer 14 W
Scanner, idle 6 W
Scanner, pre-scan 12 W
Scanner, doing scan 19 W
Laptop computer, idle 30 W
Laptop computer, top speed 55 W
Desktop computer (CRT off) 65 W (includes speakers, hub etc)
CRT only 86 W
Desk fan, low speed 34 W
Desk fan, medium 38 W
Desk fan, high 44 W
Cordless phone base only 3 W
Deskjet printer, idle 4 W
Refrigerator w/freezer 600 W

 

[Walter E.]

Those figures reflect my own findings. I used an AC ammeter.

My desktop computer, including Flat Monitor and Printer uses 100 W with Win
XP and a 1.5 GH Pentium 4.

The same unit in "Standby" uses 50 W and in Hibernate mode, 10 W

 

[Watson A.Name - Watt Sun]

I recently bought a Kill-a-Watt wall-outlet power meter,
and I thought I would share the results of my going through
the house and testing each device. For all you folks
thinking about going solar, these data may help confirm
or deny what the solar-panel company has already told you
if they offered estimates about typical power use.

Item Watts
------------------------------------------------------ [..]
Refrigerator w/freezer 600 W

Are those larger appliances such as the fridge energy efficient, or
are they older models?

--
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[flarkblark]

Item Watts

------------------------------------------------------ [..]
Refrigerator w/freezer 600 W

Are those larger appliances such as the fridge energy efficient, or
are they older models?

It's an older model, but the fridge value was premature.

On standby (after several hours not being opened), it uses 2 W.
On standby (only a few minutes after), it uses 170 W.
Right after being turned on, it uses 600 W.
After 14 hours of being on, opened several times, it has used 1.2 kWh.

Also, this fridge is mostly full, which helps reduce the impact
of opening the door.

 

[The Enlightenment]

Item Watts
------------------------------------------------------ [..]
Refrigerator w/freezer 600 W

Are those larger appliances such as the fridge energy efficient, or
are they older models?

It's an older model, but the fridge value was premature.

On standby (after several hours not being opened), it uses 2 W.
On standby (only a few minutes after), it uses 170 W.
Right after being turned on, it uses 600 W.
After 14 hours of being on, opened several times, it has used 1.2 kWh.

Also, this fridge is mostly full, which helps reduce the impact
of opening the door.

A few simple measure can improve fridge efficiency by a factor of 5.

Many cheap refrigerators (eg small bar fridges) use a simple
capillarly tube as the expansion valve. More efficient refrigerators
use a bimatallic/thermostatic valve which is far more efficient. The
most efficient refrigerators use an electronic servo expansion valve
worth around $US500.00.

Simply increasing insulation thickness by 25mm or using superior
insulation can make a difference can in fact make an enormous
difference, though this canabalises space which is critical in some
kitchens standards.

Using butane or propane instead of CFCs is also more efficient.

The use of condensor coils that can be on the outside of the
house/building where they can take care of winter temperatures can
more than trebble efficiency in cooler climes.

Using efficient DC or variable speed AC motors can alos improive
efficiencies. Many refrigerator motors are designed down to a price.
A modern electronic motor whether 110/230 VAC or 24VDC can be nearly
90% efficient compared to cheap shaded pole motors.

Combining all of the above can produce a fridge 5-10 times more
efficient in the case of a frige with an external condensor almost 15
times more efficient.


Such a refrigerator might cost $US2500 for a relatively simple model
(no ice maker). However in the case of people reliant upon renewable
energy such as solar/wind it is much cheaper than investing in more
photovoltaics and battery backup.