What Household Items Bump Up Summer Electric Bills?
As the summer heat continues to increase, you might freeze when your high PA electric bill rolls in. The hotter the summer days, the more electric you may use on appliances and other household items. If you want to save money, the best way to do so is to cut back on certain electric usage. But what drives your summer PA electric bills? The following highlights three ways to uncover the answer to this vital question!
Check Out Energy Guide Labels
If want to determine how much energy your appliances use, check out their Energy Guide labels. While not everyone keeps these after they buy an appliance, they do have handy information about the average energy consumption estimates.
Use an Electric Usage Monitor
A more accurate way to figure out how much energy a particular appliance uses is to buy an electric usage monitor. You can get these handy devices at your local hardware store or online. This type of monitor gauges how many watts of electric an appliance uses. Most of these are only available for standard 110 -120 volt appliances. These won’t work with 220-240 volt U.S. appliances such as electric clothes dryers.
In general, the monitor works by plugging it into an outlet. You then plug the device into the monitor. The monitor shows the amount of watts the device uses. Keep everything set up this way for a few hours. Then, check it later to see how many watts of electric was used during that time. This device is also helpful to figure out how much standby power an appliance uses when it’s turned off but still plugged in.
Use Consumption Formula to Estimate Electric Bills
If you’re ready, willing, and able to do a little math, here’s a step-by-step method to calculate energy consumption of each appliance or home electronic item:
- Estimate the hours per day you use the appliance or electronic device.
- Determine the product’s wattage by looking at the label or checking out similar item wattages online.
- Determine the daily energy consumption by using this formula:
(Wattage amount × hourly use each day) ÷ 1000 = kWh daily consumption - Figure annual energy consumption via this formula:
kWh daily consumption × days used per year = annual amount of energy consumption. - Annual cost to run an appliance:
Annual consumption of energy × utility rate for each kWh = annual cost to run the appliance.
With these formulas, you can figure out which appliances and electronics use the most energy and cost the most money to operate. Once you know what items are bumping up your electric prices the most, you can take measures to reduce the usage.
Compare Low Price Electric Plan Rates
If you want another way to keep cool this summer, both regarding the summer heat and the heat you feel when you see high energy bills, find a low price fixed rate electric plan. You can lock in a cheap rate for a specific amount of time and know exactly what you’ll pay per kWh during that term.
Visit https://www.paenergyratings.com and review the available electric plans in your area. You’ll find many different options regarding plan length, price per kWh, and electric companies.