Do you ever wonder how much electricity your household appliances really draw — and how much of a strain they place on the grid when you run several at once?
OUC’s new Appliance Calculator makes acquiring that insight simple. This free, easy-to-use online tool lets you see the power usage of everyday devices and how combining appliances can dramatically spike your home’s electric demand.
With the Appliance Calculator, you can:
- Spot devices that use the most power
- See how running multiple appliances at once can spike demand
- Learn how staggering appliance use can help keep your demand lower
Why Demand Matters
Demand is the amount of electricity your home uses at any single moment, measured in kilowatts (kW). It’s different from consumption, which is the total electricity you use over time (shown on your monthly bill in kilowatt-hours, kWh.)
When you run several big appliances at once — like your oven, clothes dryer and pool pump — your demand spikes. High demand puts extra stress on OUC’s grid. If demand stays too high, OUC may need to build new power plants sooner than planned – and those costs can affect everyone’s rates.
Understanding and managing demand is key to improving your home’s energy efficiency, controlling your costs, helping OUC’s grid stay reliable and keeping electricity affordable for everyone.
How to Reduce Your Demand
- Use the Appliance Calculator to spot your biggest energy users. Some appliances can use multiple kilowatts in just 15 minutes.
- Stagger appliance use. Avoid running the dryer, dishwasher, and oven all at once — especially when the A/C is cranking.
- Spread out tasks. Doing them at different times helps keep your demand lower and your bill more manageable.
Check out the image below to see how staggering can make a difference.
Try the Appliance Calculator today at OUC.com/myusage to see how small changes can make a big difference.