Everyone can find out how many kilowatt hours of electricity their own household uses annually on their individual annual bill. But how is this value actually made up? And which electronic devices use a lot of electricity? Only those who know the details surrounding electricity consumption in the household can take effective energy-saving measures and achieve success. Because you can also save costs by using electricity consciously.
In order to estimate their electricity costs, many consumers use average values, for exampleElectricity mirror for Germany 2017. The guideline values vary depending on the type of building, the size of the living space, the number of people in the household and the hot water preparation. If the water for the kitchen and bathroom is heated with electricity, i.e. using a boiler or instantaneous water heater, per capita consumption increases. The average electricity consumption in a household can therefore vary greatly, even with the same number of people. The base values are shown in this table:
How is electricity consumption broken down?
The compilation of electricity consumptionlooks different in every household. But there are typical devices that are fundamentally responsible for increased power consumption. The number of information, communication and entertainment electronic devices in households has increased significantly. Of the average electricity consumption of a German household, 27 percent is currently accounted for by televisions, computers, etc. Refrigerators and freezers as well as washing machines and tumble dryers also consume a lot of electricity. And what share does lighting play in household consumption? Lights account for around 9 percent of total annual electricity consumption. This proportion is likely to decrease even further in the coming years due to the increasing use of LED lamps, which are significantly more economical and also longer lasting.
Apart from the factors mentioned above, the efficiency of the devices used and the intensity of use are decisive for the level of electricity consumption in private households. That's why it's important to know which devices and habits use the most energy.
How much each household appliance does is stated either on the device itself or in the instructions for use. Using the formulas shown above, you can easily determine how much electricity the respective electrical device consumes and what proportion it accounts for in the annual bill. This way you can decide whether it would be better to replace it with an energy-saving one and whether it is really worth reducing the duration or frequency of use.Here are a few guidelines at a glance.
Save money through energy-conscious useanda cheap electricity price
Even if you don't want to restrict yourself in the daily use of household appliances, you can shop around for a cheaper electricity price. A portal for comparing electricity prices is a very easy tool to use. As a tip: Toptarif.de offers a very detailed overview of many electricity providers. The offers from various electricity providers are updated several times a day and show you thebest and cheapest way to the new electricity provider. The price portals also provide consumers with excellent support when it comes to price calculation. Most portals also offer special electricity price calculators that calculate the cheapest tariff for consumers depending on the people in the household and their approximate electricity consumption. With now over 1,000 electricity providers in Germany, the choice is not easy and is made much easier with the help of a comparison portal.
The choice of electricity – on theSensethe energy transition in Germany
In times of energy transition and ever higher price developments in Germany, many German households are now acting with exemplary ecological awareness and choosing one of the renewable energy sources. The wide range of electricity providers has a wide variety of offers available. Energy from wind, solar and hydropower compete with electricity from fossil fuels and provide electricity for the benefit of the environment. Green electricity doesn't even have to be more expensive than conventional energy supply. Here consumers have the opportunity not only to save money, but also to save moneyto act with a clear conscience towards the environment.
