Infographic: The hidden cost of household gadgets

Electricity consumption is already higher than ever, and experts say it will only continue to rise. What are the long-term implications for your wallet?

Mon, Sep 26 2011 at 10:21 AM EST

This infographic appears courtesy of our friends at One Block Off the Grid:

How much will you spend to power your gadgets this year?

These days, in developed countries like the United States, the average household has about 35 electrical appliances and the average annual cost of using these appliances is about $1,100. If you live in a state where electricity is expensive*, that annual price tag goes up to about $1,600 a year. In five years, you'll pay somewhere between $1,300 and $1,900 a year to use your fleet of devices, and that's only if you don't buy anything new to plug in between now and then, including a car.

Not likely. Analysts say the electrical appliances market is still growing like gangbusters. Baby boomers are moving to the South and Southwest where houses are big and air conditioning use is high. Demand for electric cars is high and is expected to present a significant new draw on the grid nationwide. All good for the economy, right? There are just a few problems. For one, in the U.S., grid power is fired primarily by dirty fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, so any increased pull on the grid means more CO2 and particulate matter in the air**. The other is that utility companies are raising their prices, on average, by six percent every year, so just because that Nissan Leaf costs less than filling up your tank today doesn't mean it'll always be that way. You can be sure that utility companies will be keeping close tabs on electric vehicle adoption, which means the plug may someday be just as pricey as the pump. (Ironically, these rate hikes are sometimes related to costly new clean energy ventures like the controversial Cape Wind project in Massachusetts.)

The question, then, is this: as the average household's energy needs increase, will people be willing to pay a higher and higher percentage of their income to utility companies every year? Or, as the cost of home-based solar and wind power come down, will things reach a tipping point where homeowners start to see their own roofs and yards as a way to reduce or even eliminate this growing annual spend?

Infographic courtesy 1BOG.com

* States with the most expensive electricity: California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Alaska and Delaware.

** Although electric vehicles will depend on a largely coal and gas-fired grid, studies do show that driving an electric vehicle is still far cleaner than driving a gas powered car.

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Robert Bryant 09/29/2011 02:43 AM

My dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, and microwave oven
don't even use a penny a year in standby--they are manually
operated with no electronics in them. When they are off, they are
TOTALLY off.

BBB 09/28/2011 13:51 PM

Note - I live in a small condo and I have all energy efficient applicances in the kitchen and laundry room.

Fridge
Keurig
Dishwasher
Gas Stove
Microwave
HE Washer
Gas Dryer
2 Cable Boxes (1 with DVR)
LCD TV (52")
Regular old school Tube TV
PS3
DVD Player
3 Computers (2 laptops 1 Desktop with an LED monitor)
Verizon modem/wireless router with strength set to 50%
All light bulbs are CFL's

My.... More

Sassymonkey 09/28/2011 13:45 PM

Our library has a program where you can borrow kilowatt meters. I am rather scared to do this but I keep looking at them.

Seth 09/28/2011 12:45 PM

I must be energy conscious because my total electric bill for the last year was $1036, despite living in NY (not the city). I used 6651 kWh which means it was roughly $0.15 per kWh. Oddly enough I just compiled this information to see if it was worth swapping out power supplies in my HTPC and server for more efficient ones.

I have plenty of gadgets too, but I try to keep them unplugged (or off if inconvenient to unplug them) when not in use. For example, my printer almost never gets.... More

Tarrant 09/28/2011 13:17 PM

We rent, so we don't have choice in our major appliances. Our printer actually gets used a fair bit (kids papers, coupon printing, scanning documents) and is wireless (making it a bear to get back online if you unplug it,) so it stays plugged in, but I finally found and enabled an energy saver mode for it.

We are fairly energy conscious, but not as good as we could be definitely. With two of us working from home, one child attending online college, three teenagers and my elderly mom all in.... More

Tarrant 09/28/2011 11:55 AM

Now that I have counted up electric appliances--how do you handle the energy vampires? Do you have a good strategy for making sure that power isn't needlessly being sucked by the vampires? Not as easy as flipping a light switch.

Alison @ Efficiency Vermont 09/29/2011 09:53 AM

An Advanced Power Strip shuts off the power for you.
http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/for_my_home/ways-to-save-and-rebates/ho...

Tarrant 09/28/2011 11:53 AM

1 tv/vcr, 1 cable box, 6 computers, 2 tablets, 1 modem, coffee pot, microwave, 3 plug in air fresheners (ugh), 4 alarm clocks, 2 gaming systems (making a note to unplug since rarely used), oh, another tv just for one of the gaming systems, 2 coffee cup warmers, 5 electric mattress pads, 1 heating pad, 1 digital picture frame, a crock pot, a rice steamer, 7 cell phones, 1 shredder, 1 printer. I think that is all of the regularly plugged in items in the house.

~Tarrant
mnn.... More

Matt 09/28/2011 10:30 AM

So if the Volt increases my bill by $600 annually, that equates to $50/month ... NEWS FLASH, I spend more then $50 filling up every time I need gas, so yes, I'd rather pay $600 annually then the ~1200 im paying now at least.

Anonymous 09/28/2011 13:32 PM

In theory your correct however the life of these battery's is limited (5-10yrs) currently there's no "Disposal" fee attached but I have a bet ($50) this will change, there may be hidden costs latter and thats without the $2-5K battery pack factored in.
Additionally if there is a mass shift to EV's the strain on the grid will require either a time based charging approach, similar to how hot water systems used to work ie off peak, or taxes and levies for upgrading the grid to handle it..... More

Anonymous 10/03/2011 08:40 AM

We need to get beyond only considering our personal $ outlay to determine the correct choice. Even if the Volt ends up costing more to operate the improved pollution control at the power plant producing energy results in less pollution from the Volt. So we all get cleaner air. I'd be happy to pay a little more for that.

Gus 09/27/2011 15:34 PM

I have gadgets, but my bill is under $100 per month, with a low of $75 and A high of $150. This includes my heat.

Tarrant 09/27/2011 09:57 AM

Ok, fess up. How many electrical appliances/gadgets do you have? I will let you leave the stove and the fridge out of it. But everything else from plug in air fresheners to computers counts. I will be back with my answer--but it will take me a while to count. (ugh)
~Tarrant
mnn staff

Anonymous 09/27/2011 14:40 PM

PS2 TV MODEM ROUTER DVD-PLR VCR 2 FANS 2 ALARM CLOCKS
SO 10

Tarrant 09/27/2011 14:46 PM

No microwave or coffee pot?

Tybalt_King_of_Cats 09/27/2011 11:02 AM

Good luck... I'll work on that :)

Tarrant 09/28/2011 11:44 AM

Thanks. I am still counting.

Infographic: The hidden cost of household gadgets

Electricity consumption is already higher than ever, and experts say it will only continue to rise. What are the long-term implications for your wallet?

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Infographic: The hidden cost of household gadgets

Electricity consumption is already higher than ever, and experts say it will only continue to rise. What are the long-term implications for your wallet?

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