- AC is a very common consumer of large amounts of electricity (depending on the region, many regions will have almost no AC while other regions will have it in every building running almost constantly)

- Electrical heat is not the most common form of heating, but it's been growing a lot and is also a big consumer when it is used

- Laundry Washer/Dryer are pretty large consumers (mostly the dryer)

- Water heaters are often electrical

- Electrical ovens and stove ranges are pretty common, which can pull quite a bit depending on how much use they receive

- Microwaves pull a bit, but not huge

AC is a big one. Where I live in New England, we usually have a couple spells where I really need to turn on my office window unit for a week or so. Those months can drive my electricity consumption up by 200 kWH or more for the month--and that's just one small window unit run intermittently during the day to cool one small room.

(electric tumble) dryers are an interesting point. They're getting more common, but most people I know in the UK either don't have one, or have one but don't use it for normal washes (they use a washing line or a clothes horse).

AC is extremely efficient for what it's doing, but it only works because the temperature difference is relatively minor. Where they can get away with it, they use something similar to AC for heating in the US.

But it doesn't work everywhere for heating. Consider that even in the hottest climates in the US, you're cooling your air by 30 degrees. But in the coolest climates, you're heating your air by 60 degrees.

My sister has this system in Philadelphia, but when it gets cold enough the more inefficient raw electric heating kicks in, and that really chews through electricity like no other.

Not really. My electricity usage is considered normal so I've never really looked into it.

Additional freezer, washer & dryer, oven (I have a propane range but many do not), microwave, there's some additional water heating in the dishwasher as well as for drying, TVs, other electronics like printer stereo etc., furnace/water heater are oil but still have pumps etc.

That's fascinating as it's not really that different from myself.

I'm alone in a flat tough, I guess you are a family?

Nope. 1800 sqft house. re: the freezers, I just like to cook a lot.

"AC in reverse" I'm assuming means a heat pump, which is very common in the US except for the parts that get really cold like the Northeast and Midwest. They are very efficient down to a bit below freezing, but will result in higher electricity usage since you are using electricity instead of a different fuel.