An unprecedented demand for electricity over the last two days was the reason TVA ordered rolling blackouts across the seven state region they serve.
TVA said that on December 23, the average temperature across the region was 9 degrees, and customers required 740 million kilowatt-hours. What is a kilowatt hour? A stove eye uses one kilowatt in an hour. A portable heater uses about 1 1/2 kilowatt per hour. Your heat pump can use 10 kilowatts per hour. A water heater uses about a half a kilowatt per month. Your oven uses about 2.3 kilowatts per hour. A single serve coffee maker uses about 1/4 kilowatt per serving while a coffee maker takes about half that to make a full pot.
The chart below is from https://www.siliconvalleypower.com/residents/save-energy/appliance-energy-use-chart
Heating |
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| Space heating, electric | |||
| Portable heater (1500W) | 1.5 kWh per hour | $0.20 per hour | |
| Baseboard heater (six foot unit) (250 W/foot) | 1.5 kWh per hour | $0.20 per hour | |
| Heat pump heat strips | 10 kWh per hour w/fan | $1.30 per hour | |
| Electric furnace | 10.5 kWh per hour w/fan | $1.37 per hour | |
| Heat pump w/o heat strips (1.8 COP)*** | |||
| 1.5 ton | 2.93 kWh per hour | $0.38 per hour | |
| 5.0 ton | 9.77 kWh per hour | $1.27 per hour | |
Air Conditioning/ Cooling |
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| Window/wall (8kBtu) (120V–12 EER) | 0.73 kWh per hour | $0.09 per hour | |
| Window/wall (18kBtu) (240V) | 1.8 kWh per hour | $0.23 per hour | |
| Central (3 ton–12 SEER) | 3.0 kWh per hour | $0.39 per hour | |
| Whole house fan | 0.2–0.4 kWh per hour | $0.03–$0.05 per hour | |
| Pedestal fan | 0.03 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Ceiling fan | 0.025–0.075 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
Water Heating (All uses) |
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| Electric water heater | 380–500 kWh per month | $49.40–$65.00 per month | |
| Instantaneous (110 v 29 amp) @1gpm 70°F | 380–500 kWh per month | $49.40–$65.00 per month | |
| Instantaneous (240 v 50 amp) @2.5gpm 83°F | 12 kWh per month | $1.56 per month | |
| Heat pump (50–75 gal) water heater | 77 kWh per month | $10.01 per month | |
| Heat pump (>75 gal) water heater | 111.8 kWh per month | $14.53 per month | |
Kitchen |
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| Range, electric | |||
| Oven | 2.3 kWh per hour | $0.30 per hour | |
| Oven: surface | 1–1.5 kWh per hour | $0.13–$0.20 per hour | |
| Oven: self-cleaning feature | 6 kWh per hour cleaning | $0.78 per cleaning | |
| Microwave oven | 0.12 kWh per 5 min | $0.02 per 5 min | |
| Broiler, portable electric | 1.5 kWh per hour | $0.20 per hour | |
| Single serve coffee maker | 0.26 kWh per brew | $0.03 per brew | |
| Coffee maker | 0.12 kWh per brew | $0.02 per brew | |
| Coffee maker/brew, warmer on | 0.4 kWh per hour | $0.05 per hour | |
| Dishwasher: normal cycle (not including hot water) | 1–2.17 kWh per load | $0.13–$0.28 per load | |
| Dishwasher: Energy-saver cycle | 0.5 kWh per load | $0.07 per load | |
| Toaster (2 slices) | 0.04 kWh per use | Less than $0.01 per use | |
| Toaster oven | 0.75 kWh–per hour | $0.10 per hour | |
| Waffle iron, 4 servings | 0.33 kWh per use | $0.04 per use | |
Refrigerator/Freezer |
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| Older units | |||
| Refrigerator (frost-free), 15 cu. ft. (1996 unit) | 150 kWh per month | $19.50 per month | |
| Freezer (manual defrost), 15 cu. ft. | 90 kWh per month | $11.70 per month | |
| Newer Units – ENERGY STAR Refrigerators | |||
| ENERGY STAR Refrigerator, 14 cu. ft. | 34.5 kWh per month | $ 4.49 per month | |
| ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (frost-free), 17 cu. ft. | 35 kWh per month | $ 4.55 per month | |
| ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (frost-free), 19 cu. ft. | 46 kWh per month | $ 5.98 per month | |
| ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (side by side) 21 cu. ft. | 51 kWh per month | $ 6.63 per month | |
| ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (frost-free) 24 cu. ft. | 54 kWh per month | $ 7.02 per month | |
| ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (side by side) 25 cu. ft. | 60 kWh per month | $ 7.80 per month | |
Electronics |
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| Television | |||
| LED/4k UHD | |||
| 40″–50″ | 0.071 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| 50″–60″ | 0.12 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| 60″–75″ | 0.15 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| >75″ | 0.18 kWh per hour | $0.02 per hour | |
| OLED/4k | |||
| 20″–30″ | 0.023 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| 30″–40″ | 0.045 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| >40″ | 0.14 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| LED/HDTV/720P | |||
| 20″–30″ | 0.024 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| >30″ | 0.035 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| LED/HDTV/1080P | |||
| 20″–30″ | 0.014 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| 30″–40″ | 0.019 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| >40″ | 0.025 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Plasma | |||
| 40″–49″ | 0.4 kWh per hour | $0.05 per hour | |
| >50″ | 0.48 kWh per hour | $0.06 per hour | |
| LCD | |||
| 40″–49″ | 0.012 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| >50″ | 0.016 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Recording/Video Playing Devices | |||
| Cable box | 139 kWh per year | $18.07 per year | |
| Roku | 26.2 kWh per year | $3.41 per year | |
| Thin client | 52.6 kWh per year | $6.84 per year | |
| Gaming | |||
| Nintendo Switch | 157.7 kWh per year | $20.50 per year | |
| Xbox One | 233 kWh per year | $30.29 per year | |
| PlayStation 4 | 181 kWh per year | $23.53 per year | |
| Wii U | 37 kWh per year | $4.81 per year | |
| Computers | |||
| Desktop computer | 0.06–kWh per hour | $0.01–$0.03 per hour | |
| Desktop computer on sleep/standby mode | 0.001–0.006 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Laptop | 0.02–0.05 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Monitor – 17″ CRT | 0.08 kWh per hour | $0.01 per hour | |
| Monitor – 17″ LCD | 0.04 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Other | |||
| Speakers (25 Watts x 2) normal volume | 0.05 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Stereo | 0.05 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Radio, CD player | 0.02 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Tablet | 12 kWh per year | $1.56 per year | |
Lighting |
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| Compact fluorescent (CFL)/LED | |||
| CFL/LED (8 W) equivalent to 25 W incandescent | 0.008 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| CFL/LED (11 W) equivalent to 40 W incandescent | 0.01 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| CFL/LED (15 W) equivalent to 60 W incandescent | 0.015 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| CFL/LED (20 W) equivalent to 75 W incandescent | 0.02 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| CFL/LED (27 W) equivalent to 100 W incandescent | 0.027 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| CFL/LED (38 W) equivalent to 150 W incandescent | 0.038 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Heat Lamp | 0.04 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
| Halogen | |||
| Halogen (300 W) | 0.3 kWh per hour | $0.04 per hour | |
Laundry |
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| Clothes dryer (light load vs. heavy load) | 2.5–4 kWh per load | $0.33–$0.52 per load | |
| Non ENERGY STAR-Qualified | 2.28 kWh per load | $0.30 per load | |
| ENERGY STAR-Qualified | 1.90 kWh per load | $0.25 per load | |
| Heat pump dryer | 0.54 kWh per load | $0.07 per load | |
| Warm wash, cold rinse | 2.3 kWh per load | $0.30 per load | |
| Hot wash, warm rinse | 6.3 kWh per load | $0.82 per load | |
Household Goods |
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| Vacuum cleaner | 0.75 kWh per hour | $0.10 per hour | |
| Dyson vacuum cleaner | 0.23 kWh per hour | $0.03 per hour | |
| Iron | 1.08 kWh per hour | $0.14 per hour | |
| Clock | 2–4 kWh per month | $0.26–$0.52 per month | |
| Night light (4w on 12-hours/day) | 1.44 kWh per month | $0.19 per month | |
| Electric blanket: Twin | 0.5 kWh/night | $0.07/night | |
| Electric blanket: Double/Queen | 0.75 kWh/night | $0.10/night | |
| Electric blanket: King | 1 kWh/night | $0.13/night | |
| Aquarium | 0.05–1.21kWh per hour | $0.01–$0.16 per hour | |
| Robot vacuum cleaner | 0.007 kWh per hour | Less than $0.01 per hour | |
Bathroom |
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| Hair dryer | 1.5 kWh per hour | $0.20 per hour | |
| Curling iron | 0.15 kWh per hour | $0.02 per hour | |
| Whirlpool tub | 1.8 kWh per hour | $0.23 per hour | |
Swimming Pool |
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| Sweep pump (3/4 hp) | 0.56 kWh per hour | $0.07 per hour | |
| Filter pump (1/2–1 hp) | 1.12 kWh per hour | $0.15 per hour | |
| Filter pump (2 hp) | 1.5 kWh per hour | $0.20 per hour | |
| Single-speed pump | 0.54 kWh per hour | $0.07 per hour | |
| Dual-speed pump | 0.29 kWh per hour | $0.04 per hour | |
| Variable-speed pump | 0.12 kWh per hour | $0.02 per hour | |
Spa/Hot Tub |
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| Electric heater (1500 W) | 1.5 kWh per hour | $0.20 per hour | |
Medical Equipment |
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| Nebulizer | 1 kWh per hour | $0.13 per hour | |
| Oxygen concentrator | 0.46 kWh per hour | $0.06 per hour | |
| Sleep apnea machine (CPAP) | 0.2 kWh per hour | $0.03 per hour | |
| * Estimated energy use is based on average operation conditions. Individual use may vary. | |||
