What Power Do Your Home Appliances Need? Practical Guide with Examples and Table

Additional notes:

• To calculate monthly consumption, consider the actual power and hours of use.
• Appliances with an A rating consume less than older models.
  
  

How to Calculate the Total Power You Need at Home

Your actual needs depend on many factors, but here are some shortcuts to determine whether your contracted power is too low or too high —basic ideas that can help guide you:

Make a List of the Appliances You Use Regularly

Write down the power ratings of your most-used appliances and turn them on one by one. At some point, the PCS (power control switch) may trip and you’ll lose power. If this never happens —even when all appliances are running— you likely have more power than you need. If it only happens under extreme use —e.g., washing machine + oven + dishwasher + AC running at the same time— your power level may be appropriate. If it happens during everyday situations (you can’t cook and do laundry at the same time), your contracted power is too low.

Add Up the Nominal Power

You’ll find power information in the instruction manual or on the appliance label (often underneath or on the side). Once you add up all the power ratings, divide the total by 3. That will give you an approximate idea of the minimum power you’ll need. If you want a deeper and more accurate calculation, we recommend this content on simultaneity factor and how it affects you.

How Much Cooling/Heating Do You Need?

As a general rule, cooling and heating require the most power. Intensive use of air conditioning or electric heating can significantly increase your power needs. Cold-wash programmes on a washing machine can require up to 10 times less power than washing with very hot water. Only you know your lifestyle and how you use your appliances.

What Happens If You Contract Too Much or Too Little Power?

If You Contract Too Little

If you don’t have enough contracted power to support your home’s energy demand, your power will go out momentarily every time you run multiple appliances at the same time (what we used to call ‘the breakers tripping’).

Lowering your power can help you save, although this savings disappears if you end up needing to raise your power level again. No one wants to live on the edge of their power limit, dealing with the PCS tripping every time you multitask. For example, you lose power because you turned on the oven while doing laundry. If that happens, you’ll need to request a power increase, which comes with a cost. Depending on your situation, the savings from lowering your power might cancel out —or even end up being more expensive.

If You Contract Too Much

You’ll never experience the issue above, but you’ll be paying more than necessary every month in your fixed bill component. The higher your contracted power, the higher your monthly fixed charge. That’s why reducing an unnecessarily high power level is one of the easiest ways to lower your bill.

But what is your current contracted power? If you’re an Endesa customer, you only need to log in to your Customer Area to find out (you’ll need to sign in or register if you haven’t already).

Tips to Optimise Power and Reduce Consumption

The first step is to calculate the maximum number of kW you may need at any given time. You must anticipate situations in which you’ll need to run your appliances at full capacity. When do you typically turn on the highest number of appliances at once?

Some things you can postpone; others you can’t. For example, maybe you can delay starting the washing machine for when things are calmer —or maybe not. Maybe you’re too hot in summer and need to turn on three ACs while cooking in the oven.

Your goal is to find the highest kW demand you place on your electrical installation. Once you know that, you know how much power to contract. And remember: if you exceed that level, the PCS may trip.

FAQ — Our Expert Answers:

Where Can I See an Appliance’s Power Rating?

As mentioned earlier, you’ll find power information in the instruction manual or on the appliance’s label —either at the base or on the side.

Which Appliances Consume the Most Energy?

Air conditioners (900–2,000 W, equal to 0.9–2 kW), microwaves (900–1,500 W, or 0.9–1.5 kW) and ovens (1,200–3,000 W, or 1.2–3 kW) are the most energy-demanding appliances.

Remember: these values are approximate and vary depending on efficiency (check the energy label), usage patterns, and each appliance model.

How Much Power Do I Need If I Live Alone?

If you live alone, you probably don’t need more than 3.45 kW to 4.6 kW, which is enough to use basic appliances without outages. Contracting for more power than you need will mean paying more in the fixed term of your bill unnecessarily. However, this depends on how many large appliances you have, your cooling/heating needs, whether you work from home, etc.

Regarding your tariff, consider whether your consumption is concentrated during specific hours. In that case, a time-of-use electricity tariff may be ideal. If your usage is spread throughout the day, a fixed-price tariff may be better. Check Endesa’s electricity plans and choose the one that fits your habits and your budget.