How to Compute Electricity Consumption

Knowing how to compute electricity consumption can be a valuable skill. It can help to check if your electricity bill is accurate. It can also let you know which appliances consume a lot of energy, so that you can reduce your usage and save money. This article will provide a step by step process of how to compute electricity consumption in your home.

Compute Electricity Consumption: Figuring out the wattage used by specific devices

Some devices have a label that lists how many watts it uses directly on the device. Others may tell you this information in an owner’s manual. If you find this number and can figure out approximately how many hours a day you use this appliance, you can calculate how much money and energy it takes for this device to operate.

If you cannot find this information, another way you can compute electricity consumption is by using a wattage measuring device called a Kill A Watt. It is fairly easy to use. All you must do is plug the appliance or device into the Kill A Watt and you will get your information.

Other ways to determine the wattage used by a specific device is to contact the manufacturer. If you provide the model number, they may be able to let you know this information. There are also online resources that can give you an estimation of a device’s watts.

You may find that older appliance models tend to use more energy while newer ones are more conservative. Energy Star appliances are guaranteed to be energy efficient.

Calculating Energy Consumption:

Now that you know your appliance’s wattage, you need to figure out how to compute electricity consumption on a daily and monthly basis. To do this, follow these easy steps:

1.       Multiply the unit’s wattage by the number of hours you use the appliance each day. This will give you the watt hours per day of the appliance.
2.       To measure this against what the utility company is charging you, it is necessary to convert this number into kilowatts, since that is how the number will appear on your bill. To do this, divide your watt hours per day by 1000.
3.       Next, you want to multiply the number you now have by 30. This will determine your monthly use.
4.       The last step is to consult your bill to see how much you are being charged per kWh. So, in other words, if you are being charged 10 cents per kWh, you will multiply the number you have by 10 to get to the total amount of what you are being charged per month.

Knowing how to compute energy consumption is very valuable. It is an easy way to help you keep on top of your expenses and control your energy use. Now that you know the method, you can start saving money in your household.