Electric water heaters are the second most energy-intensive home appliance. A water heater is needed for showering, dishwashing, sink use, and laundry. These actions make water heaters energy hogs.

Your heating and cooling system is the largest electricity consumer in the average home. By a wide margin. Central air conditioners and heaters consume a lot of energy to keep your home at the proper temperature.

Energy-efficient lightbulbs have improved throughout time. LEDs use less energy than CFLs and last longer, saving waste. They're also cheaper to run.

Your refrigerator uses a lot of electricity because it's always on, even though it doesn't use much each hour. Electric ovens and cooktops utilize a lot of energy for cooking. Electric ovens use 3% of monthly electricity.

How often you do laundry affects your washers' and dryers' monthly energy use. Both washing and drying require a lot of electricity, especially if you use hot water in the washer. Laundry consumes 5% of total annual electricity consumption.