How Many Watts To Run A House Per Day?

We may earn commissions for purchases made through links on our site. Learn more on our about us page.

According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), most homes use about 29,360 watts a day (or 29.36 kilowatt-hours). This is equal to about 1,223 watts an hour, or 10,715 kilowatt-hours a year. But, of course, this changes throughout the year.

Depending on the temperature in your area, you may need to run AC or heating at different parts of the year, and in winter, you will often have to have more lights on as it takes longer for the sun to come up in the morning and it goes down faster at night.

Additionally, not every house is different. Depending on your appliances, how much you are home, and how much power you use compared to the average family, your power could be higher or lower.

What Draws the Most Electricity in a House?

By far, the most energy-intensive things in a home are heating and cooling. For most families, they can easily take up half of your power demands a day. Other heating and cooling elements are also high, like a water heater.

Then, you have major appliances, like a washer, dryer, oven, dishwasher, and fridge. These will pull anywhere between 2% to 13% depending on how much you use them throughout the day.

Finally, you have minor electricity draws. These are usually things like your TV, the lights, a DVD player, a game system, a hair dryer, and other things you use in small amounts.

 

Does Unplugging Save Electricity?

Studies show that you can save anywhere between $100 and $200 a year by unplugging your devices that aren’t in use. This isn’t much, but it adds up over time. So does turning off items that you aren’t using, such as not leaving your TV on all day when you aren’t home.

There are options if you struggle to unplug things or turn them off when they aren’t in use. In addition, things like smart outlets and light switches can come in handy for people that tend to be a little more forgetful.

The best thing with these items is that a lot of them work via an app on your phone, so you never have to worry if you forgot to turn off the coffee pot before heading to work again.

 

How Much Power Does a 2000-square-foot House Use?

According to studies, the average 2000 square-foot house in the United States uses about 32 kilowatt-hours per day, 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, and 12,000 kilowatt-hours per year.

This is a little higher than the average power use in the US in general, which is about 29 kilowatt-hours per day, and 914 kilowatt-hours per month.

However, this is just the average. Depending on the number of people in your home and the amount of power you use, you may use a lot more power or even a lot less if you are more frugal with your electricity needs.

 

How Can You Lower the Consumption?

It is almost always possible to lower the consumption of power in your home. One of the most common ways is to take cooler showers and run colder loads in the washer. But, unfortunately, heating water takes a lot of power.

By shortening your showers and making them cooler, you can save on water bills and electricity consumption. Even a slight decrease in temperature can make a huge difference.

So can unplugging and turning off devices when not in use. For example, you can unplug your charger to save when your phone isn’t charging. It doesn’t save you a lot per day, but it does add up throughout the year.

You can also invest in devices to help you save by automatically turning off devices and offshoot devices.

For example, some outlets and power strips are now smart enough that they can turn on all your devices like a DVD player and Xbox when you turn on your TV and turn them off when your TV is off, so you don’t have to worry about turning it all on and off yourself.

 

How Much Electricity Does a Family of 4 Use Per Day?

There are a lot of factors that influence how much electricity a family of four uses. For example, if they live in a larger home with more space, they may need more heating or AC.

The age of the family also matters. If they are young and use many devices, the usage might be higher than teenagers in school and participating in extracurriculars.

However, there is still an average amount. According to research on power demands and census studies, a family of four can use roughly 27 kilowatt-hours per day or 808 kilowatt-hours per month.

Though electricity costs are different in every area, this is about $110 a month you can expect to spend on your family and their electricity needs.

 

Final Thoughts on How Many Watts To Run A House Per Day

It is hard to determine what your daily electricity use should be. You can look at averages, but that doesn’t tell you much about people in your situation.

For example, a family of four in a small apartment is probably going to use less electricity than a family of four in a 2000-square-foot house.

The age of the family of four, what they do, and their activities can also be a factor. So can location and comfortable temperature for the family. With heating and cooling being your highest costs, running the AC or heat can make a big difference.

That alone can shoot your averages right out the window if your family likes colder temperatures.

However, if you want to lower your cost, you can try to reduce the heat of showers and find ways to keep the house at a good temperature without heating and cooling all day.

Leave a comment