• Home
• Learn

Appliance Wattage Calculation

Common Appliance Wattages

Power Consumption Charts

How Much Power Do Your Home Appliances Use?

The table below shows approximate appliance wattage ratings for the items listed. Keep in mind that your specific appliance may vary and this table is just a guideline. For more accurate appliance wattages, check the rating on the appliance or use a kilowatt meter to measure the energy usage. Multiply the hours used on an average day by the wattage listed below. This will give you the watt-hours consumed per day.

Some items are only used for a short amount of time, and not continuously throughout the day. A 300-watt item used for 5 minutes per day will only consume 25- watt hours per day. Newer, more efficient models may require less power consumption. Most appliances are now equipped with an energy star rating that will tell you the appliance wattage usage per month and year.

Surge Rating

When sizing your DC to AC power inverter, be sure to plan for the surge rating on your appliance. An 800-watt washing machine has a surge rating of 3000 watts, be sure to choose a power inverter that will handle the surge rating. In this case, a 1500 watt inverter should do.

Phantom Loads

Secret sources of power consumption

A phantom load is energy consumed by an appliance when switched "off." Some electronics feature displays or LED lights or are continuously searching for a signal. These loads consume very little power, but over time they waste a lot of energy. Unplugging appliances such as TVs, DVD players, stereos, etc. will save power and reduce the overall amount of power you have to produce and store.

Using a simple power strip that can be unplugged or switched off is an easy way to eliminate phantom loads.