Most points have been covered. So maybe a charger consumes 5 watts? Fact is some probably have as many as 15 to 20 hooked up here or there charging various things. Roombas, cordless tools, ipads, phones, cameras mp3 players etc. I know my cable modem and router together eat up around 25 watts. Dvrs are a huge power hog, i got rid of mine it got so hot i was afraid it would be a fire hazard. My girlfriend probably has 10 scentsy and glade plug ins around the house going full time. Lots and lots of little things, small power draws yes but it all adds up. Alot of people now even go to sleep with the tv on.
There is something else to think about. New house wiring may be fancier with more breakers and upgraded circuits, but the newschool wiring itself sucks. My house is older and it has 10 gauge wiring. There is much less resistance and loss in this wiring, nowdays houses get either 14 or even 16 gauge wires. Early 1900s houses didn't have alot of insulation as mentioned but when you talk about a 1950s through 1970s house I would argue they were built alot better than plenty of new homes.
Another thing I have thought about is the way we live. In the 1950's, everyone sat down and ate dinner together. You cooked three meals a day, everyone did things in sync. The family sat down to watch tv together a hour or two and then did other things. Now what happens? Everyone eats and does things on different shifts so the end result is something is always going. I haven't seen this one mentioned either, but people take for granted the fact that most didn't even run clothes dryers period until fairly recently. I am not 40 yet, but growing up my mom always hung clothes out on the line unless it was raining or dead of winter. People don't want to fool with that now, but a dryer is a huge energy hog.
Older houses sometimes had as little as one per room.
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