Your house

Ever wonder how much energy your dryer uses, how much it costs to play a CD, or how much water you could save while brushing your teeth? Click on an item in the house to find out. If you're surprised by how little each costs, grab your last utility bill to see how these pennies add up.

Note: Costs are based on Seattle City Light's current rate of 7.56 cents per kilowatt hour. A chart on that site lists a few more appliances. Here's the formula for figuring out costs yourself: wattage x time used x rate per kWh ÷ 1000 = cost.

Kitchen How much Your cost Ways to save Refrigerator & freezer 12 cubic feet, manual defrost: 110 watts 18 cubic feet, frost free: 400 watts The first costs about 20 cents per day; the second costs about 60. • Cover foods; uncovered dishes release moisture. • Close a dollar bill halfway in the door; if you can pull it out easily, replace the seals. • Set the refrigerator between 37 and 40 degrees and the freezer at 5 degrees. • Vacuum the condenser coils in back once a year. Stovetop & oven Stove: 500 watts Oven: 3750 watts The stove costs 4 cents an hour, while the oven costs 28 cents an hour. (The broiler, at 3000 watts, is 6 cents for every 15 minutes.) Stove: • Put your cookware on the right-sized burner. • Keep the reflectors and burners clean. • Cover your pot when boiling water; it's faster, too. Oven: • Use your microwave instead — at 1600 watts, it's only 4 cents for 20 minutes. • For small dishes, use the toaster oven. Kitchen sink • When you're going to run the water for just a moment, turn the lever to cold. The hot position makes the water heater kick in, even if the heated water never reaches the faucet. • Water plants with the water you use for boiling or steaming. • Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap for a cold drink. • Use cold water for the garbage disposal. • Wash your produce in the sink or a pan partially filled with water instead of running water from the tap. Microwave 1600 watts 4 cents for 20 minutes • Use in place of your oven Toaster 1200 watts A third of a cent each time (two minutes) • Swallow hard and pay. Dishwasher (hot water wash and rinse) 1400 watts 2 gallons per person, per day 11 cents for a one-hour cycle • Let dishes air dry: turn it off after the final rinse and prop open the door • Fill but don't overload. • Scrape food off dishes instead of rinsing. • Check the manual for recommendations on the water temperature; you may be able to turn your water heater down to 115 degrees. • Designate one glass for your drinking water each day. This will cut down on the number of times you run your dishwasher. Back to top Bathroom How much Your cost Ways to save Shower & tub 13 gallons of water for the typical shower; a bathtub holds 50 gallons • Collect the water wasted while you're waiting for it to heat up, and use it to water your plants. • Spend one minute less in the shower; if everyone did, it would save more than 2.5 million gallons a day in Seattle Public Utilities' service region. • Save 50 gallons a week by turning off the water while you shampoo your hair. • If your shower can fill a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a water-efficient one. • Bathe your young children together. Bathroom sink • Save as much as 100 gallons a week by turning off the faucet while you shave. • Turn off the water while brushing your teeth to save 4 gallons per minute. Toilet 19 gallons per person, per day • Flush one less time a day. If everyone did, it would save more than three million gallons a day in Seattle Public Utilities' service region. • Replace your toilet. New toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush; older toilets use between 3.5 and 7, depending on age. • Drop your tissue in the trash instead of flushing it. Back to top Garage How much Your cost Ways to save Water heater Energy efficient: 4500 watts Pre-1998: 4500 watts Energy efficient: 44 cents; heats in an hour and 20 minutes Pre-1998: 63 cents; heats in an hour and 50 minutes • Use cold water whenever possible.             Washing machine (cold water) 600 watts 13 gallons per person, per day Energy cost: 1.5 cents for each 20-min. wash • Wash in cooler water, unless you're dealing with oily stains — switching from hot to warm can cut your energy use in half. • Wash full loads or set the water level to match the size of your load. • Buy a front-loading machine, which uses much less water. Dryer 5600 watts 42 cents each hour • Clean the lint filter after every load. • Use the cool-down cycle to let clothes dry in the residual heat of the dryer. • Dry towels and heavier materials in a separate load. • Air dry instead. Back to top Bedroom How much Your cost Ways to save Lighting 18-watt fluorescent bulb: 18 watts 60-watt light bulb: 60 watts 100-watt light bulb: 100 watts For two hours: 18-watt: .3 cents 60-watt: .9 cents 100-watt: 1.5 cents • Turn 'em off — it's not true that it's better to leave the light on. • Switch to fluorescent; they're more efficient and last six to 10 times longer. • Dump your fire hazard of a halogen lamp. • Instead of lighting the whole room, focus the light where you need it. • Outdoors, use a timer to make sure lights are off during the day; turn off decorative gas lamps — eight year-round use as much energy as heating a house in the winter — and switch to fluorescent. Closet & bed • Grab an extra sweater or blanket instead of turning up the thermostat. Baseboard heater 1500 watts 11 cents an hour, the same as a portable heater. Your furnace, on the other hand, costs $2.25 an hour at 30,000 watts. • Lowering your thermostat one degree could save as much as 7 percent of the energy your furnace uses. • Lower the temperature to 55 degrees when you go to bed. • If you're cold, first try a sweater and thick socks. Back to top Living room How much Your cost Ways to save Stereo & radio 250 watts for the stereo; 8 for the radio Stereo: 2 cents per hour; radio: a tenth of a cent per hour • Marvel at how little it costs you to get NPR. TV 250 watts 7.6 cents for four hours • It's all worth it, right? Back to top Other How much Your cost Ways to save Air conditioner 4000 watts 30 cents per hour (a box fan is a penny per hour) Before buying an air conditioner, try: • Putting a reflective film on your sunny windows • Hanging light-colored shades or blinds on your sunny windows • Using the existing ventilation system -- the general exhaust fan or the bathroom's • Opening a window on the shady side of the building Computer 300 watts 4.5 cents per hour • Turn it off. If you can't because of networking needs, turn off the monitor to save 30 to 60 percent of your computer's energy use. Clock 3 watts Half a cent per day • This only proves it: Time is money. Back to top

Sources: Department of Energy, Seattle City Light, Water: Use It Wisely, savingwater.org

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