The wattage of appliances (equipment) and the amount of operating time can vary greatly. The following information will show how to determine where the energy dollars are going in your home.
Step 1
Look on your utility bill and find the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that is charged in your area. If you cannot locate a bill, rate information can be found by logging onto your cooperative’s Web site or by giving them a call.
Step 2
Since the wattage of an appliance (equipment) determines the electrical usage per hour, the second step is to determine the wattage.
The wattage of an appliance is found on the serial plate. But it is possible that the electrical requirements will be expressed in volts and amperes, rather than watts. If so, multiply volts times amperes to obtain the wattage; e.g. 120 volts x 12.1 amperes = 1,452 watts.
Step 3
Use the following formula to estimate usage and cost.
Watts (Divided By) 1000 = Kilowatts (KW)
KW x Rate $ per KWh = Operational Cost per Hour
To determine monthly cost:
Operational Cost per Hour X number of hours operated per day X number of days in the month = monthly cost
To determine yearly cost:
Operational Cost per Hour X number of hours operated per day X 365 days in a year = yearly cost