What Uses the Most Electricity in Your Texas Home?

Top 4 biggest energy consumers in your house

What contributes the most to the average electricity bill in Texas?

According to the Energy Information Administration’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption survey, the average Texan spent about $1,500 per year on electricity. This annual amount was broken down into the following categories:

HVAC: 53%
Water heating: 20%
Cooking, refrigeration, laundry, and electronics: 20.5%
Lighting: 6.5%

100 Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bill

1. Heating and cooling (HVAC) – 53%

Your air conditioner and furnace use the most electricity in your home (especially in Texas) at about 40-50% of your bill. It’s hot for most of the year which means your air conditioner is working hard to keep your home cool for the most of the year.

You can reduce the amount of electricity used by your HVAC systems by:

Turning the thermostat up to 78 during the summer
Relying on ceiling fans to keep cool
Planting trees to shade your home on the south and west-facing sides
Setting the thermostat down to 64 during the winter
Bundling up in warm, comfy clothes indoors during the winter
Schedule a professional tune up of your AC system each spring and your furnace each fall
Regularly replacing your air filters – clogged, dirty air filters can cause your HVAC system to consume 15% more electricity
Ensuring all air vents are not blocked by furniture

What is the Most Energy Efficient HVAC System?

2. Water heating – 20%

Your water heater consumes the second most amount of energy in your home, accounting for about 18-20% of your electricity bill. Every time you take a warm shower, wash dishes, wash your hands, or run the clothes washing machine, your water heater kicks into gear.

You can decrease the energy consumed by your water heater by:

Turning down the temperature on your water heater
Washing your clothes with cold water and only with a full load of clothing
Taking shorter, colder showers
Running the dishwasher only when it’s full
Switching to a tankless water heater can save you up to $100 per year

3. Appliances and electronics – 20.5%

All of the electronic devices and appliances in your such as televisions, laundry machines, refrigerators, computers, game consoles, and more make up for about 20% of your electricity bill.

Reduce the electricity utilized by your electronics and appliances by:

Spending more time outdoors (or reading) instead of watching television, online shopping, or gaming
Refraining from repeatedly opening your refrigerator just to see what’s inside – plan your trips to the fridge to keep the cool air inside
Pre-rinsing your dishes, turning off the heated dry settings, and only running a full load in the dishwasher
Investing in a clothes drying rack to air dry more clothing instead of using the dryer

4. Lighting – 6.5%

The lights in your home consume about 10-15% of the total electricity used. Depending on how many light bulbs you have in your home, the type of bulb, and how often they are, the energy used by lighting can vary widely.

Follow these tips to decrease the electricity consumption of your lights:

Upgrade to LED lights – these bulbs last significantly longer than incandescent bulbs and use 90% less energy
Always remember to turn the lights off when you leave the room
If it’s not too hot outside, open the blinds and rely on natural light instead of electricity
Replace exterior lights with solar powered lights so they don’t add to your bill

Written by Graham Lumley

Graham Lumley, Growth Product Manager at BKV Energy, leads digital and traditional marketing strategies, focusing on educating Texans about the state's deregulated energy market. With over 10 years of marketing experience, he creates content to help consumers understand and save on their energy bills, bringing a fresh and dynamic approach to the industry.