Appliance Wattage Calculation
Common Appliance Wattages
Power Consumption Charts
POWER CALCULATIONS:
Some items are only used for a short amount of time and not continuously throughout the day. A 300-watt appliance used for 5 minutes per day will only consume 25-watt hours per day.
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.
Kitchen Appliances
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Blender | 500 | Coffee Machine | 1000 |
Dishwasher | 1200-1500 | Chest Freezer (15 cu.ft.)* | 1080 Wh/Day |
Refrigerator (16 cu.ft.)* | 1200 Wh/Day | Garbage Disposal | 450 |
Microwave | 1000 | Electric Oven | 1200 |
Toaster | 850 | Toaster Oven | 1200 |
For low power consumption, higher efficiency DC refrigerators and chest freezers, click here!
*To estimate the number of hours that a refrigerator actually operates at its maximum wattage, divide the total time the refrigerator is plugged in by three. Refrigerators, although turned "on" all the time, actually cycle on and off as needed to maintain interior temperatures.
Lighting
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
CFL Bulb: 40W Equivalent | 11 | LED Bulb - 40W Equivalent | 10 |
CFL Bulb - 60 W Equivalent | 18 | LED Bulb - 60W Equivalent | 13 |
CFL Bulb: 75W Equivalent | 20 | LED Bulb - 75W Equivalent | 18 |
CFL Bulb: 100W Equivalent | 30 | LED Bulb - 75W Equivalent | 23 |
Incandescent 50 Watt | 50 | Halogen - 40 Watt | 40 |
Incandescent 100 Watt | 100 |
Task lighting typically consumes less power than overhead lighting because task lights give you more flexibility than a large central light. Timers are great for making sure lights are not left on longer than intended and motion sensing lights will only run when you really need them. You can find DC timers and LED Floodlights on our website to optimize your lighting efficiency.
Heating & Cooling
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Box Fan | 200 | Furnace Fan Blower | 800 |
Ceiling Fan | 120 | Space Heater NA | 1500 |
Central Air Conditioner - 24,000 BTU NA | 3800 | Window Air Conditioner 12,000 BTU NA | 3250 |
Central Air Conditioner - 10,000 BTU NA | 1200 | Window Air Conditioner 10,000 BTU NA | 1200 |
Water
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Well Pump - 1/3 1HP | 750 | 120V 50 Gal Water Heater - Electric | 1125 |
220V Tankless Water Heater - Electric | 18000 | 240V 50 Gal Water Heater - Electric | 4500 |
Using a natural gas or propane heater will reduce the amount of electricity you'll have to produce using wind, solar or hydropower.
Laundry
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Electric Clothes Dryer | 3000 | Top Loading Washer | 800 |
Gas Clothes Dryer | 1800 | Iron | 1200 |
Office
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Desktop Computer (Standard) | 200 | LCD Monitor | 100 |
Laptop | 100 | Modem | 7 |
Printer | 100 | Router | 7 |
Smart Phone - Recharge | 6 | Tablet - Recharge | 8 |
Living Room / Electronics
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
LCD Television | 150 | Blu Ray DVD Player | 15 |
Plasma Television | 200 | Standard DVD Player | 15 |
Satellite Dish | 25 | Cable Box | 35 |
Stereo Receiver | 450 | Video Game Console | 35 |
TVs, Computers, and other devices left plugged in but not turned on still draw power. Using a power strip with an on/off switch will ensure that you fully power down phantom loads on appliances.
Tools
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Band Saw: 1/4" | 1100 | Disc Sander: 9" | 1200 |
Belt Sander: 3" | 1000 | Drill: 1/4" | 250 |
Chain Saw | 1100 | Drill: 1" | 1000 |
Circular Saw: 7 1/4" | 900 | Hedge Trimmer | 450 |
Circular Saw: 8 1/4" | 1400 | Weed Eater | 500 |
Cleaning & Personal Care
Appliance | Watts | Appliance | Watts |
Vacuum | 1000 | Clock Radio | 7 |
Sewing Machine | 100 | Hair Dryer | 1500 |
Dehumidifier | 280 | Electric Shaver | 15 |
Humidifier | 200 | Curling Iron | 150 |
Electric Blanket | 200 |
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.