Calculating
Electricity Use
Electricity usage for household items will depend on the
watt rating
and on t he length of time the it em is operating. To det
ermine the
electricity usage of your electrical item, use the following
steps:
|
A.
Find the watt rating of the item. This is usually on
a small metal plate on the back or bottom of the item.
Some items will list the volts and amps instead of watts.
To obtain the watts, simply multiply
(Volts
x Amps = Watts).
|
B.
Estimate the hours per month the item is used.
|
|
C.
Using the formula below, calculate the approximate
number of
kilowatt-hours for each item.
watts
x hours of operation = kWh
1,000 watts
Example:
A 1,500 watt microwave oven with estimated use of 10
hoursper month (20 minutes per day).
1,500 watts x 10 hours/month = 15 kWh per month |
1,000 watts |
|
|
|
D.
By multiplying the number of estimated kilowatt-hours
used per
month times the price per kWh, you can determine the
approximate
operating cost per month of your electrical item.
kWh
per month x price per kWh = cost per month
Example:
15 kWh per month x $.17 per kWh* = $2.58 estimated cost
per month.
|
E.
The cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity is made
up of three separate components in residential accounts. Add all three
together, then use that total in the above calculation.
| Example: |
Distribution
Charge |
$
0.07427 |
| |
Transmission
Charge |
$
0.01036 |
| |
Electricity
Supply Charge |
$
0.08712 |
| |
Total
Cost per kWh |
$0.17175 |
-
To obtain current Transmission & Distribution
charges click here.
-
To obtain current Standard Offer electricity supply
charges go to the MainePublic Utilities web site
at http://www.maine.gov/mpuc/
|
Return
to Energy Manager
|
|
|
