Whether you’re ready to buy a power generator to use when the lights go out or you want to cut back on your energy consumption, you need to know how much electricity your devices use. An appliance wattage chart or energy consumption label can give you the necessary information.
What Are Appliance Wattage Ratings?
Electrical appliances need electricity to operate. An appliance’s wattage rating is the amount of power it requires to run. Large appliances like refrigerators need more power than smaller appliances like fans and have higher wattage ratings as a result. Manufacturers often include an appliance’s wattage rating on the packaging or label. For appliances that don’t have labels, consumers can turn to a chart that lists the average watts that different types of appliances use.
Where Do You Find Appliance Wattage Ratings?
There are many ways to find an appliance’s wattage rating. The first place to look is on the appliance itself or the box it came in. Look for the Energy Guide label. This label tells you the average amount of energy that each specific appliance consumes under normal conditions. If you cannot find this label, you can look for an appliance wattage chart online or use an energy calculation formula provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.
How Do You Use Appliance Wattage Ratings?
You can use appliance wattage ratings when shopping for a new appliance. Perhaps you need to replace a machine that no longer works or want to upgrade the appliances you have with newer, more energy-efficient ones. As you browse the available options, compare the wattage ratings to choose the models that are most energy efficient. These models should have lower numbers on the wattage rating chart.
If you want to purchase a portable or whole-house generator to run appliances when the electricity goes out, you need to know the wattage ratings of all your appliances. After you identify which appliances you want to operate with the generator, calculate the total amount of wattage you need. Then you can choose a generator with the ability to supply that much power.
Why Are Appliance Wattage Ratings Important?
Appliance wattage ratings are important for consumers who want to reduce their energy consumption. When shopping for a new appliance, they may compare the wattage ratings for different appliance models so they can choose the model that costs the least to operate over time. Sometimes they need an appliance that falls within a specific wattage range because they plan to use a generator to operate the machine. It also helps them avoid problems with overloaded circuits.
How Do You Read an Appliance Wattage Chart?
Appliance wattage charts typically list different appliances along with numbers in two columns. The numbers in these columns indicate either the running watts or starting watts of each appliance. Running watts refers to the number of watts the device needs to operate normally. However, most appliances require additional watts when you first turn them on. Your generator needs to supply enough electricity to meet the demand of the starting watts.
