It’s not until you move into your very first home that you start paying utility bills. For the uninformed, this amount can range from $60 at the very least to a couple of hundred dollars each month based on the size of your home and your daily living habits.
We’ve done some digging to identify the biggest energy-sucking culprits in your home, and what you can do about it!
1. Air conditioners—Main culprit behind most utility bills
Image credit: TheSmartLocal
To nobody’s surprise, air conditioners are a huge culprit behind Singaporeans’ electricity consumption. It’s no secret that we heavily rely on our air conditioners to tide us through the sweltering heat of the day, and many of us have the habit of keeping our air conditioners on during the night as well.
Image credit: TheSmartLocal
For Leanne and her 4-member family, their monthly electricity bill usually falls between $150-$200. She also shared that “like most homes, our washing machine, fridge, lights and fans make up a portion of our electricity consumption. But, the bulk of our electricity usage is attributed to the fact that all 3 of (them) sleep with the air conditioner on every night.”
A homeowner on Hardware Zone shared how he lives on his own in a 4-room HDB flat, but finds himself spending $150 on his monthly utility bill. What he says is a result of having his master bedroom aircon on for 12 hours a day, and in addition to this, another 8 hours on the weekend.
Another Reddit user u/mixupsalsa lamented how his family of 6 were paying $300-$400 monthly on electricity, mainly from the use of their air conditioning units.
But that doesn’t mean that you should go cold turkey and sleep without your A/Cs, you can still adopt some good practices to help you save money while you continue to use air conditioning on the daily.
2. Washing machines & dryers
Image credit: Michael Buss Architects
We all have to get the laundry done at some point, and our trusty washing machines do tend to guzzle quite a fair amount of energy in order to produce squeaky-clean clothes. Singapore’s weather has an odd habit of flip-flopping between torrential rain and sweltering sun, so it’s no surprise that some households also use dryers instead of opting for sun-drying.
“Instead of wasting time waiting for clothes to sun-dry, our household uses a dryer to quickly dry our wet clothes. The weather nowadays is so fickle, and the unpredictability of the rain makes it even more necessary for us to use our dryer. Since we live in a household of 4, our laundry loads are pretty large, and we use our laundry machine and dryer thrice a week. However, because we try to save electricity in other areas, we’ve managed to keep our monthly electricity bill under $100.”
Breanna
“There are 4 people in our family, and we have a helper along with a dog. Our electricity bill ranges from $100-$200, depending on the month. We don’t own a dryer, but we use our washing machine frequently due to the fact that our family doesn’t have the habit of rewearing clothes – we usually prefer to throw our clothes into the laundry basket instead of hanging them to rewear the next day. Consequently, our laundry loads are larger than average and we end up using our washing machine every other day, which greatly increases our electricity consumption.”
Jason
“Our dryer contributes a lot to our electricity bill. We use it twice a week, and it takes a few hours for our clothes to fully dry each time. Dryers are typically high consumption electrical appliances, but because there are only 2 people in our household and we’re in the office most days, our total monthly bill doesn’t cost us more than $100.
Image credit: Lowes
“The biggest burden on our electricity bill is definitely our washing machine. My family of 5 does our laundry thrice a week, and each load is usually around 8kg. Aside from laundry, the frequency of all other electricity-consuming activities in our household is increased fivefold as compared to living as an individual. Our monthly electricity bill typically falls between $100-$150.”
Louise
“It’s unconventional, but our household uses a Steigen Automatic Laundry System – it’s an automated clothes drying rack, not exactly a normal dryer, but it does take up a lot of electricity when it’s in operation. Our monthly electricity bill usually falls between $100-$150, primarly due to our Steigen but also because we turn the air conditioner in our master bedroom on every night.”
Joey
“I live with 2 other people in my house, and we spend roughly $200-$250 a month on electricity bills. A large part of our electricity bill can be attributed to our laundry habits – we own both a washing machine and a dryer, and our laundry loads are usually quite large.”
Dewi
“I spend around $500 on my electricity bills every month. A huge culprit is definitely my air conditioner which I use every night, but the real killer was my dryer. The increase in my electricity consumption and my electricity bill was really prominent after I started using my dryer.”
Woshileeroy on Hardware Zone
-
Fridges
Image credit: Kountry Kraft
“There are 6 people in my household, and our monthly electricity bill is typically $350-$400. I’d say the biggest contributing factors to our electricity consumption are our fridges – we have 3, and they are inevitably always turned on. Air conditioning is definitely another culprit, but we do try to reduce our usage of air conditioners during the day since all of us sleep with the air conditioner on at night.”
Gwen
“We have 2 fridges in our home, which use up quite a lot of electricity. Most homes only have 1, but we keep a large quantity of frozen food as well as store a lot of drinks, which is why our house has 2. As a family of 4, we usually spend over $450 on our monthly electricity bill.”
Yuna
“There are 2 people in my household – myself and a tenant. We’re quite mindful about our electricity consumption, and our electricity bill comes up to a maximum of $60 a month. Since we hardly use our air conditioners and make an effort to only do laundry when necessary, the biggest contributing factor to our monthly bill is our fridge, which is always on.”
Ivy
-
Lights & fans
Image credit: Design Indulgence
“I live with 3 other people, and our monthly electricity bill is usually less than $100. There are a few appliances in our home which are perpetually running – our fridge, as well as the lights and fans. While it’s inevitable that our fridge constantly consumes power, we also have a habit of keeping our lights and fans on almost all the time.”
Jun
Cutting down on electricity usage
Image credit: Jason
There’s a reason why larger appliances like fridges and washing machines come with an energy efficiency sticker – it’s important for us to be aware of how our appliances operate and consume electricity. When possible, it’s wise to opt for appliances with higher energy efficiency ratings. Models with better ratings may come with a slightly heftier price tag than their single green tick counterparts, but they do help cut down on a lot of unnecessary energy usage in the long run.
Looking for energy saving variations of the same appliance is another method to cut down on electricity consumption. For example, inverter-type air conditioners tend to consume less energy than their non-inverter counterparts, and smart bulbs help save more energy than regular bulbs.
Image credit: Jason
Small actions matter too – remember that turning off an appliance doesn’t stop it from drawing power from the outlet it’s connected to, and devices can end up using quite a fair bit of power even if they’re just on standby mode. As such, it’s best to turn off power outlets along with turning off appliances themselves.
Image credit: Helpling Singapore
For those who die-die need the air conditioning, we get you. Singapore’s weather is hot, and it’s definitely not uncommon to use your air conditioner daily – just make sure that you don’t forget to get your air conditioner serviced regularly. Dirty air filters can impede airflow and end up wasting energy, so it’s a good idea to call an aircon servicing service once in a while.
We ask: Electricity bills and the main culprit
Amongst the many electricity guzzling devices in our homes, air conditioners and dryers seem to be the main culprit when it comes to raising our electricity bills. While it’s unrealistic to expect your electricity bill to drastically decrease overnight, never underestimate the power of making small changes and forming new habits.
It’s never too late to start breaking down your electricity bill and understanding which appliances in your home could do with a little less usage. After all, not everyone can afford to have solar panels installed on their roofs, but being aware of your lifestyle and habits is the first step to altering your electricity consumption and reducing your carbon footprint in the long run.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Read more about electrical appliances in Singapore homes:
- We ask Singaporeans about the best standing fans
- Dishwasher vs handwashing
- Battle of the cordless vacuum cleaners – Dyson vs Bosch
Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal, Design Indulgence, Michael Buss Architects
Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news.
