Bartholomew County REMC:
Bartholomew County Rural
Electric Membership Corporation is an electric
cooperative located in Columbus, Indiana.
How much electricity does your appliances use?
Take a look at what you can do for just a few pennies with the help of electricity:
Use a 75-watt lamp for 14 hours for about 7 cents
Refrigerate food for a day for about 20 cents
Operate a window fan for about 1 cent an hour
Cook a meal on an electric range -using all the burners and the oven - for about 84 cents an hour.
Use the self-cleaning feature on your oven for a total of 35 cents.
Wash a load of dishes in a dishwasher for about 7 cents
What Does it Cost to Run My Appliances?
The appliance use chart above shows the most commonly used appliances and office equipment in homes, the average wattage of that equipment and the estimated average cost.
To calculate the exact use of your appliances, or for those not listed in this chart, use the following formula:
amps x volts = watts
watts x hours = watt-hours
watt-hours / 1000 = kilowatt-hours (kwhs)
kwh x .10 (10 cents) = estimated cost of using appliance.
Look for the serial plate on the bottom or back of the appliance. It lists the power used in terms of watts (120 watts might be written 120 w) or amps and volts.
For a larger appliance such as a water heater, remember that it is only running when it has clicked on and is actually heating water. The time your water heater is on varies according to how much you do laundry, take baths, or run the dishwasher. But, let's say your water heater is on for 3 hours on a particular day (the national average):
4,500 watts x 3 hours = 13,500 watt-hours
13,500 watt-hours / 1000 = 13.5 kwh
13.5 kwh x 10 cents = $1.35
There are several things you can do to use electricity more efficiently.
You will find that your electric furnace, air conditioner and water heater will make up the greatest percentage of your electric bill, so these are the areas in which to concentrate your energy management efforts.
