What items use the most electricity in modern day living?

Question

What devices make using 1900s wiring impractical for today's standard of living?

Answer 1

Stoves, ovens, electric water heaters, dryers, air conditioning. To lesser extent, space heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave and/or toaster ovens, toasters, hair dryers, many powered tools such as air compressors and power saws and drills, heat lamps.

Answer 2

Electrical Heating and Air Conditioning units probably use more kwh`s per year than any other electrical household device.

Answer 3

Air conditioners are the number one consumer of electricity.  A house that old will probably have a separate, new circuit run if air conditioning is installed later.  Microwaves also use a lot of electricity.  My dad added an extra circuit just for the microwave because it kept tripping the kitchen breaker (house built in 1974).  It was on the same circuit as the refrigerator, and if they were both running it would trip.

My inlaws house was built in 1917, and has mostly original wiring.  Even the light switches are weird rotary switches.  Everything works okay though.  They don't have air conditioning, their clothes dryer, water heater, and stove are all gas.  So they don't have a lot of high-energy users anyway.  

My house (built in 1954) doesn't have grounded outlets,  so we just use adapters.  It's probably not as safe, but I don't use a hairdryer while sitting in the tub, so I don't worry.  If I'm using the weed eater or something outside where it's wet, I have a portable GFCI protector.  Other than the inconvenience of plugs not fitting, I don't notice any difference in function from a new house.  The house has a fuse box (s***w in fuses) instead of breakers... but there is a retrofit product that screws in just like a fuse, and has a breaker button.

Answer 4

airconditioners,refrigerators,and almost anything that remains open almost every day that is 220-250

Answer 5

An electric dryer is typically the heaviest load in a residential service, usually about 50 amps at 230 VAC.

Answer 6

Air conditioning, Domestic Hot water Systems, Fridges/freezers, Cookers, Washing and Drying machines, Regular use of the kettle., Microwaves, Electric fires....

Answer 7

Air conditioning, refridgerators...pretty much anything that runs on 220.

Answer 8

bath-room guisser, air conditioner and microwave oven are among the highest power eating household appliances.

Answer 9

Electric Range/Oven, Dishwasher, Electric Clothes Dryer, Central Air Condition, Swimming Pool Filters.

Answer 10

The items that use the most electricity are usually appliances with heating elements, like electric water heaters, electric stoves, electric clothes dryers, and central electric heaters.  But other things with heating elements also use a lot of electricity due to their heating elements, such as toasters, hairdryers, coffee makers, and of course electric space heaters.

Late 1900's wiring is not impractical yet.  Not that much has changed since the very late 1900's as far as wiring requirements, except that there are more computers, printers, and plasma tv's in people's homes now than then.  But overall 1980's and newer wiring and codes are still functional now.