We just had a power bill of nearly a thousand dollars and the boys at my house think it's from the pool pump (it's on a total of eight hours a day, which apparently is standard) while I think it's from them using the dryer constantly, instead of hanging clothes on the line. I need some proof to back me up!
2006-10-28 22:46:24 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
There are a couple of ways, but I can tell you it's not necessary. The pool pump uses far less than the dryer. As an earlier poster said, if you have electrically heated hot water, then the laundry room is the culprit. All you have to do is find the wattage rating of each appliance and multiply that number by the total number of hours the unit is on. This will give you a watt-hour number which is what the electric company meters you on. You will see that the dryer is about 10 times the pool pump and if you have an electric hot water heater, it will be about the same. There are other ways to do it, like turn everything off, then turn one appliance on at a time and look at the watthour meter to see how fast it's moving. You will see that the dryer and water heater move it much faster than several pool pumps would.
2006-10-28 23:09:02 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Peachy® 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good answers for the most part, a meter called an ammeter will help track down which appliances are using more power. As far as asking for a beak down of the bill, there is no way for the electric company to provide that, as they only know what the meter showed before, and what it shows now. There is no way for them to even see when more power was used by an individual. But I fully agree that if your bill was usually under $500 per month before, a faulty meter is the most likely suspect, and bad, aged or damaged wiring being another possibility.
2006-10-28 23:12:27 · answer #2 · answered by Scottydawg 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
look at your meter for 15 min when just 1 or the other is running and ALL else is off fridge especialy( clock the) read the meter at the beginning and end of each test it will be a close tie but i Think the dryer will win & you do use more hot water washing is it elec?(but running 8 hrs is standard pool operation,,, and overall may win so x's the 15 min you can in some climates run less ) ,,,,,you know the electric meter outside the house where the main wires come into the house
2006-10-28 23:05:02 · answer #3 · answered by txtx 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could also be your hot water heater. using the dryer constantly means washing...your hot water heater may be old and eating your electric. your dryer will add to your bill, but I would check your refrigerator also. And I would have someone come out and check your meter. Look at your last few bills, if they aren't even close to that amount, your meter could be shot, and your paying for what your not even using. I use my dryer constantly, and it usually only adds about 20 dollars to my bill. Unless you are using an electric furnace, that could do it, but a thousand dollars seems off the charts, I'd check my meter first.
2006-10-28 22:53:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have an electric dryer that run on 220, that is it has a big plug that would do it plus the same if your range is 220. I would suggest that you remove all your regular light bulbs, and replace them with florescent screw in that cuts your bill a lot
2006-10-28 22:57:33 · answer #5 · answered by robert d 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the only way to do this is to have someone watch the power box while these things are going. do them one at a time and what ever make the power spin the fastest is what is eating up the power
hope this help you and remember Jesus loves you
2006-10-29 00:09:09 · answer #6 · answered by jan d 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
look at manufacurers label on each device. it should list amps draw. more amperes = more power draw.
items with heat elements are generally the biggest users.
ie. electric heat, pool heaters, electric dryers, etc.
2006-10-29 01:09:12 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ask for a detailed usage plan with ur bill, it gives a list of d amount of power consumed by each appliance
2006-10-28 22:54:03 · answer #8 · answered by girl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One way to check your meter is to turn off your main breaker and look at the meter to see if it is turning, also turn off power and check all of your wire connections to make sure they are tight
2006-10-29 01:30:37 · answer #9 · answered by Handyman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the electric company has a device that will measure the total energy you use for each appliance.
2006-10-28 22:54:27 · answer #10 · answered by don_steele54 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋