Exploding energy prices in Germany: which household appliances consume the most electricity

Created: 2022-07-28 04:56

By: Franziska Kaindl

The Ukraine crisis is driving up electricity prices in Germany.

Many consumers are now trying to save energy in the home.

But where to start?

Light, heating, household appliances: Almost everything we use at home every day consumes electricity.

But simply doing without it is not really an option.

Nevertheless, there are ways to save energy in the household – and therefore money.

First of all, it is important to know what the biggest power guzzlers are in your own four walls.

It is in these areas that the most electricity is consumed in the household

With regard to electricity consumption in households, a lot has happened in the past few decades.

According to the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), computers, televisions and the like can now be found where refrigerators and freezers used to empty the household budget doubled - halved for refrigerators or freezers.

This is thanks to the increasingly efficient devices that have been equipped with energy labels since the 1990s.

Source: BDEW, as of March 2021

Most household appliances run on electricity - but which one uses the most of it?

© Waldmüller/Imago

The five biggest power guzzlers in the home

But which devices actually consume the most electricity?

The greatest need for optimization is probably still in classic household appliances, as a list by the energy supplier E.ON suggests.

As a result, it is mainly old heating pumps that, at around 600 to 800 kilowatt hours per year, account for the greatest electricity consumption in a typical 3-person household.

This is followed by the electric stove (445 kWh per year) and the freezer (415 kWh per year).

Source: E.ON

It's so easy to save electricity at home

Current energy prices make many consumers worry about their next electricity bill.

But you don't have to resort to ruthless means to quickly and drastically reduce your consumption.

As a rule, small tricks are enough to save a lot on the wallet.

The consumer center gives some tips:

• It is better to use the Eco program instead of the short program for the dishwasher or washing machine - short programs consume more electricity because they require higher temperatures in a shorter time.

• When cooking and frying, do not forget the lid.

  Otherwise energy is lost.

• Do not heat the water for boiling in the pot, but in the kettle - it is faster.

• Avoid preheating the oven.

• Always fill appliances such as the dishwasher or washing machine sufficiently full.

• Wash at low temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees and use a high spin cycle to reduce the time in the dryer.

  Or take advantage of the good weather in summer to simply dry clothes in the sun.

• Replace incandescent and halogen lamps with LEDs.

  They use up to 90 percent less electricity.

• The stand-by function uses less power, but it adds up.

  In addition, the EU requirement of a maximum of 0.5 watts in stand-by mode does not apply to devices that are connected to a network - for example smart TVs or printers.

  So it is best to do without it or use a switchable socket strip.

• Darken TV screens and monitors.

Electricity price development in Germany

In April 2022, one kilowatt hour of electricity in Germany cost a whopping 37.14 cents with a power consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours per year, according to an analysis by the BDEW.

For comparison: In 2020 it was 31.38 cents and in 2000 it was only 14.32 cents.

The reasons for this price increase within 20 years are, on the one hand, various surcharges that the legislator has added to the price of electricity, and on the other hand, the purchase of coal and gas has become more expensive - and in 2021 gas accounted for 15 percent of electricity generation in Germany.