HEATING uses up the most electricity in the average Spanish home, followed by refrigerators – which consume more energy than the washing machine and TV put together, says a recent study.
The Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) monitored home electricity use for a year and have just released their findings, which include some surprises.
Television sets use more power than washing machines, which drink more electricity than ovens, whilst an average desktop computer costs more to run than a freezer or dishwasher.
And out of all electrical appliances, tumble-driers use the least power – less, in fact, that lightbulbs.
The average household in Spain uses 10,521 kWh (kilowatts per hour) in a year, of which 47 per cent goes on heating and 21.7 on appliances.
Hot water boilers account for 18.9 per cent of the total consumption, cooking 7.4 per cent, lightbulbs and flexible cables 4.1 per cent, and air-conditioning a lower-than-expected 0.8 per cent.
However, given that this is the annual average and the summer months on the southern and Mediterranean coasts, the central plains and the islands are only punishingly-hot for two to four months of the year, whilst the north of Spain generally sees brief, cool summers, the actual proportion of electricity used may be higher – although the study does not break down power usage by seasons.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com