My electric bill has usually been about 90 dollars, until this month it jumped to 263 dollars. Before it jumped there was a problem with the transformer on the pole and the power company had to come work on it, Is there something that could have happened to cause the Air conditioner to use more power then normal? If I turn it on I cant watch the wheel go around on the power meter it while it is on it makes a revolution about every second, but when its off its about 2-3 secs per revolution. What would cause my sudden jump in power usage?
2007-08-25 13:33:04 · 4 answers · asked by funkymonkey 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
You can check your home's kW demand by counting the revolutions of the disk on your meter in one minute. All you need is the Kh factor on the face of the meter.
RPM x 60 x Kh = watts
Do the test with the AC off, and then again with it on.
A typical AC unit will add around 1000 to 1200 watts for every ton of cooling capacity. With this data you should be able to determine the base load (non-AC) as well as the AC's contribution.
Watts ÷ 1000 = kilowatts
Drop me an e-mail if you'd like to discuss this test in greater detail.
2007-08-25 21:46:17 · answer #1 · answered by Thomas C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's doubtful that anything the utility did affected your usage, since the transfromer is on the unmetered side of things. The only thing I can think of is maybe you are receiving too high a voltage, but you would notice that with burned out bulbs and appliances. BTW, it has been over 100 here in TN 16 days in a row and if my bill is only $263 I will dance a jig.
Edit: Another thing, they might have been estimating your usage, and finally read the meter to catch up.
2007-08-25 13:43:37 · answer #2 · answered by steve.c_50 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Rather than fantasize about a mysterious ailment it has, you need to face the reality that an air conditioner uses a lot of electricity while it is running and this is the season that it is running. Look at your electric bill from last summer and you can confirm this.
If you want to save money but sweat like a pig then just turn off the air conditioner. Your electric bills would drop but probably you would too.
2007-08-25 15:03:18 · answer #3 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd better not tell you !
2007-08-25 13:55:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋