Consumption Up – New Appliances Eat Energy
Energy demand grows one to two percent per year in Ameren’s service area. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that total U.S. electricity use will rise by more than 40 percent between 2000 and 2025. Why? We’ve added home office equipment, telecommunications gadgets, security controls and home entertainment systems.
The EIA conducted an energy consumption survey in 1978, 1987 and 1997. Here’s what they found:
Appliance use accounts for two-thirds of all electricity consumed―with most of the power going to keep air conditioning and heating systems, refrigerators and lights running. That’s nothing new. So what are we doing differently now―compared to then?
The following 10 product types are projected to account for 60 percent of forecasted miscellaneous growth in consumption by 2010: torchiere lamps, color televisions, dehumidifiers, security systems, compact audio systems, microwave ovens, projection televisions, satellite systems, pool pumps and home computers.    Worse yet, 20 percent of electricity consumed in homes is consumed by appliances in standby mode―the audio systems, televisions, cable boxes, personal computers, VCRs that are on―sometimes all the time!
Check out the Energy Savings Toolkit for information on how to save energy by replacing major appliances with more energy efficient models.