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Appliance Questions
Will I save on my electric bill if I replace my old refrigerator with a new one?
A 20-year old refrigerator will cost more per month to
operate than a new refrigerator. This is due to the
increased efficiency of compressors and the higher quality
insulation value found in newer model refrigerators.
How do I calculate the electricity costs for my appliances?
To find your monthly cost to operate each appliance, multiply
the total kilowatt-hours used by the current energy rate
(approximately 7.5 cents per kwh).
For example, if you have a VCR that uses 3 kwh per month
and an energy rate of 7.5 cent per kwh the cost would be
22.5 cents per month.
How do I determine how much energy (kwh) an appliance uses?
You need no more than three pieces of information.
First, look at the name plate on the appliance. You are
looking for a number with a "W" beside it. This
stands for wattage. Some appliance provide the amperage
(A) and voltage (V) in place of the wattage. To get
wattage, simply multiply amps times volts. An example
would be a 120 V heater rated at 12.5 amps. This would
equal 1500 watts.
Now to determine kilowatt-hours (kwh) you need to take
the length of time (in hours) an appliance operates. Take
watts and multiply by the hours of operation. Using
our heater example above we would have 1500 watts times
the number of hours of use. If we use that heater for
two (2) hours we would have 3000 watt-hours of electricity used.
To convert watt-hours to kilowatt-hours you must divide by
1000. Therefore, our 1500 watt heater operating for two hours
would use three (3) kilowatt-hours.
Other FAQs
If you would like to request a copy of our
"Stretching Your Appliance Dollar" brochure
please e-mail us and include your name and mailing address.
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