How Many kWh Does a House Use Per Day

Energy consumption is considered a basic necessity because we need it to function properly and efficiently in our day-to-day lives. Energy is consumed by different sectors such as residential, commercial, industrial and transportation. 

Electricity is one of the most common forms of energy that people consume. People use electricity in just about anything that they do, may it be at work or in their homes. Speaking of residential, based on Connect4Climate.org, cooling and heating takes up the top spot as the largest consumer of electricity in a household followed by water heater then lighting then washer and dryer and then the rest of the household appliances such refrigerator and small gadgets like computers and cell phones.

How Many kWh Does a House Use Per Day

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were a total of 138,308,772 residential customers in the US in 2021. A utility company considers one household as one customer so let’s find out what is the average daily energy consumption of one household in the country.

EIA has also released the figures for America’s 2021 residential electricity consumption and it showed that the country consumed a whopping 1470 billion kWh. This means that the average annual electricity consumption of a typical American household was 10,632 kWh and that the average monthly consumption is about 886 kWh. Now if you convert it to average daily consumption, it will give you a total of 29.53 kWh.

kW versus kWh - Are They Different from Each Other?

Before we continue, let us have a quick review of what is a kilowatt (kW) and a kilowatt-hour (kWh) just to refresh your memory.

Kilowatt (kW) is a measure of how much power an electric appliance consumes and in this case, since we use the word “kilo”, a kilowatt is equivalent to 1,000 watts. For example, you bought a vacuum cleaner and it says in the description that it is a 1000 watts / 1 kW appliance. This means that this appliance needs 1000 watts/ 1 kW of power for it to work.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh) on the other hand, is one way of measuring energy in a household per hour. This is also how electric companies usually bill their customers in the form of “cents/kWh”.

Let’s go back to the 1 kW vacuum cleaner mentioned above and use it as an example. Imagine that you are using this appliance for 2 hours and then let us assume that your electric supplier charges you 23 cents per kWh. The equation will then look like:

1kW (vacuum cleaner) x 2 hours x $0.23 electricity cost per kWh = $0.48 a day

The equation and the computation is that simple. Now you know that you are paying $0.48 for each day that you use your 1 kW vacuum cleaner for 2 hours.

Factors that Affect Household Electricity Consumption

Going back to electricity consumption, there are different factors that affect the amount of energy a house consumes per day. Some of these factors are as follows: the size of the house, number of people in the household, lifestyle, number, type of electric appliances and gadgets used, and climate where the house is located.

We mentioned earlier in this article that an average American household consumes about 29.53 kWh of electricity per day, which totals to around 886 kWh per month. However, this number can vary significantly depending on the factors mentioned above.

For example, a bigger house with more occupants and uses a lot of high-powered appliances will definitely consume more electricity per day if you compare it to a smaller household with less occupants and use fewer appliances.

Lifestyle also plays an important part in electricity consumption. A family who is more aware and conscious of their electricity consumption are more likely to practice ways to reduce their energy use and costs than a family who does not pay much attention to their energy use.

Lastly, climate plays a great role in finding out how much electricity is consumed in a household. Heating costs more than cooling so households that are located in cold areas are expected to consume more electricity than those who are based in places where there’s a lot of sunshine.

Checking your electricity bill for the last three to six months, twelve months even, will give you an idea of your average monthly consumption. It will also tell you which month(s) of the year  consumes the most energy which can then help you workout a plan on how to cut down on consumption during that time of the year.

Energy-Saving Tips for Your Household

We need electricity to live more conveniently and comfortably. At the same time, there are actually a number of ways where you can reduce your energy consumption and lower your electricity bills without compromising your convenience and comfort.

Upgrading to energy-efficient appliances is probably one of the best ways to improve and reduce energy consumption. More and more household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines are switching to inverter technology making them energy-efficient. These appliances that have inverter technology are designed to consume less energy while still providing the same level of performance as their energy-hogging counterparts.

Another way of saving on energy and probably the most underrated one is unplugging and/or turning off electronics when not in use. Leaving appliances such as televisions, microwaves and even computers on standby mode still draws power so make sure to unplug them when not in use to save on electricity.

Lastly, adjusting your thermostat to the recommended temperature can go a long way in reducing your energy consumption. While it can be tempting to make a room cooler during the summers and the room to be warmer during winters, as much as possible, it is best to follow the recommended settings provided by the aircon/heater company so you can maximize its energy efficiency.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the consumption of electricity in a household per day differs based on a number of factors such as the size of the house, lifestyle, and climate. It is important to understand the impact of those factors and at the same time practice ways on how to reduce energy consumption and lower electricity bills. Switching to energy-efficient appliances, turning off and unplugging electronics when not in use and adjusting your thermostat to the recommended temperature settings will help you save on electricity costs and reduce your energy consumption.