Band 7 Discussion Essays

The bar chart compares annual electricity usage and operating cost of sixteen household appliances. Overall, the spa pump and heater not only was the most costly device but also consumed the most electricity among sixteen household items, whereas the electric blanket and microwave oven consumed relatively little electricity. One striking feature is the considerable gap between the spa pump and heater and the remaining devices. Regarding appliances whose energy usage exceeds 1000 kWh per year, the spa pump and heater ranked first by a significant margin at roughly 2300 kWh, followed by the pool pump and the refrigerators at nearly 1500 kWh and 1100 kWh, respectively. A similar pattern can be seen in operating costs, with the spa pump and heater recording the highest annual expense at approximately $180 per year, whereas all other devices cost less than $125 per year. As for devices using less than 1000 kWh annually, most household devices showed considerably lower levels of electricity usage and operating costs. Washing machines and clothes dryers recorded the highest consumption within this group, at nearly 900 kWh and 800 kWh, respectively. By contrast, appliances such as televisions, microwave ovens, and electric blankets used considerably smaller amounts of electricity, all remaining below 400 kWh per year. Coinciding with operating costs, lesser energy usage generally resulted in lower annual spending.