Preamble:
On a cold winter day, do you have air conditioners, electric heaters, electric water heaters, or other appliances on your home to heat up?
Do they work non-stop all the time, and are you curious to guess how much they spend on electricity?
When you receive an electricity bill that is several times higher than usual, will you be shocked and rush to find the trace of the "power-consuming emperor"?
So the question is, among all kinds of small household appliances, what are the household appliances that consume the most electricity and have the deepest guilt?
This article will unveil these "power-consuming emperors" for you, so that you can prevent problems before they occur and effectively avoid the crisis of "skyrocketing" electricity bills.
Air conditioner - the largest "invisible electric erosion" in the home in winter
In many areas of the South, public heating systems are not widespread.
In winter, residents rely on air conditioning to continue living indoors.
Unlike the central heating system in the north, this decentralized heating method in the south seems to have little to do with a comfortable living environment.
But when expensive electricity bills came in one after another, many southern residents realized that the small air conditioner had not only warmed their rooms, but also "baked" their wallets into a big hole.
Xiao Ming's family lives in a small city south of the Yangtze River without central heating.
Since mid-November, they have been heating with air conditioning.
During the day, the air conditioner is set at around 26°C; At night, the temperature is raised to 28°C so that the electricity bill does not rise too much.
This heating model seems impeccable, but when it comes to counting the bills at the end of the month, Xiao Ming still can't help beating his chest - in just half a month's heating time, their electricity consumption is more than twice as much as usual!
"What's going on, it's only been used for less than 20 days, and the electricity bill has already exceeded the total amount of last month! ”
Xiao Ming's family was caught in a heated discussion, speculating about what caused their electricity bills to soar.
Xiao Ming's wife wondered if they were using too many electrical appliances because they were shopping too much online.
His son, Xiao Hei, thinks that it was the workers who renovated the community who secretly diverted their electricity.
All sorts of speculation spread among them, but in the end there was still no reason.
"How much do we have to pay for electricity if we go on like this!" Xiao Ming said anxiously.
It turns out that the heating function of an air conditioner is far less energy-efficient than that of the cooling function.
In the winter when the temperature difference is large, the compressor and fan of the air conditioner will continue to operate at high load to generate enough heat to compensate for the heat loss of the windows and walls.
The instantaneous power is much higher than when used in the summer, which is a key factor in the surge in electricity consumption.
After nearly 20 days, Xiao Ming finally recognized the fact that it is difficult to save electricity and money by using air conditioning for heating in this climate in the city, even if it is only for a few hours.
Not to mention that they've been using air conditioning for a whole winter!
Tip: The appropriate temperature should be set to about 26°C when using the air conditioner in summer, but it should not be higher than 20°C in winter, otherwise the heating load will be too large, and the electricity bill will grow rapidly.
Oil heater - single function but huge consumption
If your bedroom or study is particularly difficult to heat all winter, then you buy a small oil heater and put it at your feet, so that you can feel the warmth at all times, isn't it a happy enjoyment?
But when you realize the huge electricity consumption hidden behind this simple and happy life, I am afraid that you will regret it.
The reason why the oil heater stands out is that its design concept pursues local heating.
These small electric heaters only radiate heat in a single direction, and the range of heat transfer is extremely limited.
Because of this, it is very energy-efficient, and in order to warm up an average bedroom, you need to turn on at least 3-4 oil heaters at the same time.
Aunt Li bought a 500W oil heater and put it in front of the writing desk in her bedroom to keep her warm while working.
At first, she thought that such a small heater would not consume much electricity, but after a few days, she realized that the electricity bill was much higher than usual.
"My room is not big, why is the electricity bill increasing so fast with this small heater?" Aunt Li asked her best friend in confusion.
"Although this thing is small, its working principle determines that it is very 'power-grabbing'. ”
Aunt Li's best friend explained, "In order to make you feel warm as soon as possible, the heating components inside need to quickly rise to a very high temperature, which requires a lot of electricity.
This is a different principle from when we cook food and cook it slowly over low heat. After listening to her best friend's analysis, Aunt Li suddenly realized.
Even with just one on, a winter of continuous work can drain a staggering amount of power.
According to measurements, the power consumption of a 500W small oil heater for 8 hours is about 4 degrees.
Households with an average daily usage time of 8-12 hours will consume more than 300 kWh of electricity in a winter.
This is no less than a large electric heater or electric fan.
However, why does the small oil heater have such a "power-grabbing" performance?
The main reason is that it pursues a quick and effective way of working - through the heat dissipation group to quickly heat up and then radiate heat outward, quickly forming a local high temperature area.
But the faster the heat dissipation, the more power is consumed.
This is the fundamental reason for the high energy consumption and low efficiency of small heaters.
Tip: For every 1 square meter increase in room area, the rated power of the heater should be increased by 100W.
When purchasing, you must give enough power, otherwise you will not be able to quickly achieve the heating effect.
Storage type electric water heater – it's not just for bathing
How much electricity does a hot shower cost? Maybe you've never calculated it carefully.
In fact, a storage electric water heater that provides comfortable hot water is a fairly efficient power consumer.
Especially after the cold weather comes, it works almost all the time, endlessly, and faithfully fulfills its mission.
In the period of time before the central heating of the residential property in winter, the storage water heater of Xiaofang's family played the function of "heater".
During the day, it needs to be started frequently to ensure that the water temperature of the faucet is not lower than 45°C, and the solar water heating system is basically in a state of stop working due to poor lighting conditions; At night, it is all relied on to supply hot water for bathing.
Xiaofang recently found that her electricity bill has increased a lot compared to the same period in previous years, and a check found that it actually exceeded 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
"We haven't added more electrical appliances to our house, so why has our electricity consumption increased so much?" Xiao Fang confused her husband about her troubles.
The husband thought for a while and said, "Maybe it's because of the water heater? Recently, the weather is getting colder and colder, and we need it to work continuously day and night to ensure that there is hot water available." ”
Some time ago, Xiaofang's family added a new member, Xiao Duo.
Every day, Xiaofang has to change Xiaoduo's diapers, take a bath, and wash the bottle many times, and the demand for hot water has greatly increased.
At the same time, she and her husband's water consumption for washing and cooking has also increased.
The storage water heater ushered in the baptism of "Double 11", and it was running at high load during the day and at night.
Such power consumption seems inevitable.
A storage electric water heater that provides comfortable hot water is a fairly efficient power consumer.
Especially after the cold weather comes, it works almost all the time, endlessly, and faithfully fulfills its mission.
It's hard to save on your electricity bill.
Tip: After taking a shower or when you are away from home, you can turn off the power switch of the storage water heater to avoid wasting electricity by its continuous heating.
Bath bomb - this shy "little nobleman"
If you were asked to guess what household appliances consume the most electricity, how would you answer "electric water heaters", "electric heaters", "air conditioners?" or washing machines?
In fact, in the group of "power-hungry emperors", there is a character you may not expect - that is, the miniature "bath bomb".
The reason why few people associate bath bombs with high power consumption is mainly because it is so small that it barely generates heat when used, and it is difficult for us to compare it with those big appliances.
But if you closely track its power parameters, you will see that this shy little guy has a luxurious "electric aristocracy" blood flowing through it.
Aunt Li's bathroom is equipped with a total of 5 bulb-type bath bombs, and she often turns on them to warm up before taking a bath in winter.
"It's just 5 small light bulbs, how much electricity does it consume?" Aunt Li thought so.
Until one day, she accidentally saw that the rated power of one of the bath bombs in the daily environment was 1200W!
The miniature bath bomb has the luxury of electricity.
To make the five bath bombs fully illuminate and radiate heat, the sum of their power can reach a staggering 6000W! This is equivalent to the instantaneous power of a high-power microwave oven or rice cooker.
It is conceivable that after turning on the "5 Little Overlords" for an hour, the power consumption will exceed at least 2 degrees.
In addition, due to the harsh conditions of use of old-fashioned bulb-style bath bombs, they are prone to malfunction or damage.
After being turned on for a long time, both the bulb cover and the base will age and peel off due to high temperatures.
At that point, you'll have to replace it with a new one, but the new one will soon be the same too.
Tip: Don't turn on too many bath bombs at once when bathing in winter.
It is best to install an electric air heater with a fan, which can provide both hot air and lighting functions, and the effect is better.
Small solar heater - this "little sun" is inexhaustible
In my memory, the figure of the little sun heater is everywhere.
At home, it always does its duty to deliver warmth to where it is needed most; On a winter day in the school library, a few little suns will make you forget about the snow falling outside......
Nowadays, although this kind of old-fashioned heater is rarely seen, the feeling of warmth and peace still remains in the hearts of many people.
However, it is such a small household appliance with a warm appearance that has been "grabbing" the power resources everywhere it goes for decades.
As the most powerful representative of the older generation of heaters, the Little Sun Heater is a "electricity bill killer" hidden behind the memory.
Xiao Yu's family lives in the northern countryside, and their old house does not have any heating equipment, so they can only rely on a few small solar heaters to survive the long winter.
Usually, Xiao Yu's grandmother would turn on the two little suns and let them warm up the two places where her grandmother sat most often.
"Grandma, we don't turn on the air conditioner because we're afraid that the electricity bill will be too expensive.
Two little suns also have to pay a lot of electricity, right?" Once, Xiao Yu couldn't help but remind.
"Silly boy, when there was no electricity, these little suns didn't keep warm!" Grandma waved her hand and said.
In fact, the power of the little sun is generally 1000-2000W, which is not big, but the "appetite" is amazing.
At 1500W, the power consumption for 8 hours is as high as 12 kWh.
This means that grandma's two "little suns" can consume about 20 kilowatt-hours of electricity every day! This kind of electricity consumption, which lasts for a winter, makes the family's electricity bill higher than ever.
Tip: When the heating demand is not large, try to minimize the time you spend using the small sun.
Consider using a new type of low-power hot air blower for local spaces such as bedrooms.
Epilogue:
To sum up, a variety of small household appliances such as air conditioners, oil heaters, electric water heaters, bath bombs and small sun heaters may quietly become the biggest "power consumers" in your home in winter.
They're not as high-profile as larger devices but just as "greedy power", which causes your electricity bill to grow wildly without you knowing.
Therefore, when using these small household appliances, we must pay attention to saving electricity to avoid them bringing unexpected huge electricity consumption and electricity bills.