H&R Consultants

You may not have known it, but you may come from a country with comparably cheap power. Japan is a great place, and we got lots of “stuff” to be proud of here, but cheap power isn’t one of them. Leaving your AC or heater running to keep your cat comfortable while you are at work may have been perfectly reasonable at home, but here the bill at the end of the month might surprise you… unpleasantly.

To avoid any such unpleasantness we recommend you look through this list of common appliances and how much it costs to run them. A little bit of knowledge might save you a whole bunch of cash.

Electricity Usage of Selected Appliances

Key: Appliance (factors) unit price ~ annual cost.

* “Jo” is a measure of room size. More info on room sizes here.

Air-conditioning Unit (*6~18 jo room) JPY 16,000 ~ 50,000/unit
Washer and Dryer (10kg, everyday use) JPY 9,500 ~ 23,000
Dish Washer (11 liters. twice a day) JPY 15,000
Refrigerator (168~601 liters.) JPY 8,400 ~ 10,000
Light Fixture (*12 jo room, 8hours/day) JPY 3,200/one light fixture
TV (24~50 inch) JPY 829 ~ 1,554
Iron (10 min./day) JPY 2,300
Rice Cooker (5.5 rice cups ) JPY 2,200
Hair Dryer (10 minutes/day) JPY 2,000/one person
Microwave JPY 1,600
Vacuum Cleaner (10 min./day) MAX: JPY 1,400

Save Money When Using Air-conditioning

Use a fan or a circulator at the same time as the AC unit. Make sure you turn the fan/circulator upward.
In Japan, the “proper temperature” to set an AC is 28℃ (82.4f) in summer and 20℃ (68f) in winter. (Seriously!)
Clean the filter every 2 weeks. http://japaninfoswap.com/how-to-clean-your-air-conditioner
Use the automatic operation mode, so the AC only kicks in when needed.
Do not put or store things around the part of the AC that sits outside.
Do not turn the AC on and off for only a short time (ex.30 min.), because the most electric power is consumed when it starts.
Keep the vane (fan blades) pointed down while warming room, keep the vane flat while cooling one.
In summer, close the curtains or the blinds to shut the sunshine. In winter, open the curtains to get the sunshine.

Electricity Usage of Heating Appliances

It is not just hot in Japan, its cold. In some cases VERY cold. In most cases, you are still better off using your AC to heat in winter, but it will depend on your specific circumstances. Below is a list of scenarios and a suggested heating method.