|
2torial #0822:
Learn2 Calculate Utility Costs
(Continued)
 Calculate electrical costs
You now have the monthly use of an appliance in
hours. In this step you'll figure out the
kilowatt-hours--the amount of power that you've
used during the month. Then you'll multiplty that
figure by the power company's charge per kilowatt
hour (or KWH). To find out the rate that you're
paying for each kilowatt-hour, look at your
electric bill or call the electric company.
- For each item on your list, you'll need to
find the wattage, or the amount of power
the appliance consumes. To find out the wattage,
look for a serial plate--a rectangular strip of
metal about 1 1/2 inches by 4 inches (3.5 cm by
11 cm) that's attached to the appliance, with a
combination of amps, volts, and watts listed on
it. (There also may be an EnergyGuide on larger
appliances like refrigerators--see
Keywords). In some instances, a serial
plate will not give wattage, but amperage and
voltage instead. In this case, multiply the
amperage by the voltage to get wattage.
Note: In those cases where wattage
isn't supplied, your best bet is to multiply
amperage times voltage to get wattage, and most
electrical companies will agree with that
estimate. However, this method of determining
watts from amps and volts, and from an
alternating current, will only produce a rough
estimate. Finding an exact measure of watts from
amps and volts is a very complicated manner--it
would take a week of electrical engineering
lectures on alternalting current theory to
explain, and that's probably more than you have
time for now.
- Multiply each item's wattage by the
number of hours you've determined you use it per
month. Take that result and divide it by
1,000--this produces the number of
kilowatt-hours that the item consumes each
month. Write this figure down in the third
column of the final report.
- Almost done--one last easy
calculation. Multiply item's monthly
kilowatt-hours by the electric company's rate
for a kilowatt-hour. The result is how much you
pay to run the appliance each month. Write this
figure down in the last figure of the final
report. You've now done a careful estimation of
the energy consumption and costs of a single
electrical appliance.
 Step
4
|
