What Appliances Use the Most Electricity in Ireland?

Your tumble dryer uses the most electricity costing €1.98 per hour! One of the best ways is to find out which of your household appliances use the most electricity so you start rationalising how you use them at home. In our guide, we’ll walk you through the best ways to cut down your appliances’ usage!

Which Household Appliances Use the Most Energy?

Making sure you’re using your appliances in the most efficient way possible is rule one when it comes to changing your energy consumption habits, and one of the best ways of reducing your usage is to know how much each appliance uses. Especially if you’re using a device that generates a lot of heat, it’s likely to add much more to your electricity bill!

What Uses the Most Electricity in a Home?

So which appliances use the most electricity when it comes to doing your daily household tasks? Let’s have a look at the table below:

Source: Purchase.ie
Prices based on Electric Ireland unit rate 39.59c per kWh on a Urban 24 hour meter with VAT included and 8.5% discount applied.
Last Updated: 23/06/2023

As we can see from the table, the top five electricity consuming appliances are the following:

1. Electric Shower
2. Tumble Dryer
3. Electric Kettle
4. Electric Heater
5. Dishwasher

However, though these devices are the most energy intensive, it’s important to note these are the costs after using them for an hour. For instance, it’s unlikely that you’ll be using an electric shower for that length of time so the cost per hour will be small. That being said, it’ll all add up towards the end of the bill cycle.

Check Out Our Energy Saving Gadgets Guide!

Do Electric Showers Use a Lot of Electricity?

From the table, we can see that an electric shower is the most expensive appliance to run at around €3.37 for every hour. However, it is unlikely that people will be spending that amount of time in the shower everyday.

Of course, this figure will multiply with every person in the household and the time they spend showering. For instance, if you have a household of 4 and each person showered three times a week for 15 minutes, you’ll add €10.11 a week to your bill.

Does a Washing Machine Use a Lot of Electricity?

Washing machine consumption is difficult to calculate since there are many different settings that can change the length of time, number of cycles, and the temperature of your wash. Generally speaking, the longer and hotter the wash, the more expensive it’s going to be, so you should consider washing at lower temperatures such as 30°C which is sufficient for most loads.

How Does Appliance Electricity Affect My Energy Bill?

When your household appliances are using electricity, they increase your consumption on your bill. Since most energy providers bill according to the amount of electricity consumed times by a unit rate they charge, the usage from your appliances will continue to add to your bill when you’re using them.

How Do Kilowatt Hours Add to My Bill?

With almost all electricity providers, you’re charged a unit rate per kilowatt hour (kWh) that you use. A kWh is simply a unit of electricity that is consumed in an hour, and your supplier will count the number you’ve used each month and times it by the unit rate to get one side of your electricity bill.

How Can I Save the Most Electricity with My Appliances?

Saving electricity with your appliances is easy enough but you should always pay attention to what you use your devices for and when you need them. Your electricity consumption habits will change depending on a lot of factors, especially the season, and being able to adapt your usage is a great way to save money.

How Do I Save Electricity While Cooking?

If you’re already using natural gas for the oven or your hob, you’re already making a major saving on your electricity bill since gas is cheaper than electricity. However, if you're using an electric oven or induction, you should make sure to use the right temperatures while cooking food and not blast them up to the maximum. You should also use your microwave sparingly and in short bursts since it can take up a lot of power.

How Do I Save Electricity with My Washing and Drying?

An easy way to save electricity is with your washing and drying. Most modern washing machines and detergents are now very good at washing clothes at a lower temperature than the standard hot wash, so washing your clothes at 30°C is a great way to save money. Modern washing machines are also less likely to damage your clothes if you mix whites and colours so you can reduce your load even more.

In the summer, you can easily hang your clothes out to dry in the sun without needing to put them in the tumble dryer and they’re usually dry in no time. However you can also take advantage of the wind in the winter months to dry your clothes so you can avoid overusing the tumble dryer as well!

How Do I Save Electricity with Heating?

In the winter, our energy bills usually increase because we need to heat our homes. Especially in our more moderate climate in Ireland, this is a major cost when it comes to our energy bills and unfortunately electric heaters tend to be incredibly expensive to run. One of the best ways to reduce your heating bills is to make sure you use other heat sources such as an oven after you’ve been cooking to provide your home with warm air instead of using the heating. If you have an air conditioner, you should consider other ways of keeping cool in the summer.

Read Our Winter Saving Guide!

How Can I Boost the Appliance Efficiency of My Home?

When it comes to boosting the efficiency of your home appliances, there are some simple steps you can take to make sure you're consuming the least energy possible and conserving the most heat. Buying efficient appliances will help with making sure they consume less energy and reduce your energy bill.

What Tells Me the Efficiency of An Appliance?

Due to European regulations, all appliances are given an efficiency rating from A to G that states how efficient they are when it comes to using energy. What efficiency means when it comes to appliances is the amount of energy they consume while working. Whenever you buy an appliance, you will find the energy label on the box indicating how efficient it is.

Find Out More in Our BER Rating Guide!

How Do I Improve the Efficiency of My Home?

When it comes to the rest of your house, the efficiency can be improved immensely with some home improvements. Through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), you can get grants for making home improvements for heat retention with insulation methods. Here’s a list of the home heating solutions you can get funding with from the SEAI:

• Attic Insulation Grant
• Wall Insulation Grant (Cavity, internal, and external walls)
• Heat Pump System Grant
• Heating Controls Grant