All things being equal

It’s been a while since we added to our quick and handy tool set. So it’s about time we put some of the big users in the home into context.

When we talk about 1 unit of electricity, or 1 kilowatt-hour (kwh) it can be confusing as to what that really means. So hopefully the graphic below should help. All of the items below will cost you the SAME on your electricity bill.

We often say that hot water is the biggest user in your house, but that it depends on your house. Hopefully this graphic above will help you understand what IS and what ISN’T important when trying to cut your bill.

So yes, that’s right – heating 20 Litres of water (that’s a pretty big sink full) to 60 degrees will use around 1 kilowatt hour of electricity. That’s exactly the same as running a pool pump for 2 hours, which is the same as running an old-style light bulb for 12 hours or a new CFL or LED light bulb for 5 days!! Your household phone chargers are another level down again – with around 1 months usage using about the same as the others.

Obviously your mileage may vary — your pool pump might be much bigger and your chargers might be much more efficient, but generally I hope these numbers will be generally right.

BTW – LED lights are very similar in usage to the 10W CFL bulb shown above, give or take.

If there’s anything you’d like us to compare to – add a comment or contact us!