what uses a lot of electricity in comparison, please read ???

Question

Hi, i live alone at 56 and don't use much but would like to know like if I turn off my lights, how much money does that really save and also like if I leave my porch lite on all the time, how much does that cost ? And running my fridge etc. I live a pretty simple basic life, but have very little income, my home heat is nat. gas , my dryer is elec how about that as it may be my biggest expense and is it cheaper to use the laundromat, we are living on pennies here thanks

water heater is gas

Answer 1

Dryer probably cost the most to run from what you have mentioned. You can dry clothes on the back of chairs or an inside line, doors and hangers too.

If you leave a light on all the time buy the flourescent money savers. You get more light for your buck.

Keep things clean like the filter on your heater and anything that needs to breath to disipate heat,ie. fridge, AC, computer, TV.

Your fridge does use alot of power but in comparison it is far more efficient than anything else you own. However on an older one you need to make sure the doors are sealing properly.

Next is your water heater. It is well insulated but if you dont use much hot water you are wasting energy. Which I assume you dont wash warm or hot, this is wasteful. And if you dont bath constantly like some clean freaks, the Water heater can be eliminated and get an on demand type. Or just shut it off and boil what hot water you need to take a bath.

In reality we have it soo good today. If we took some history lessons on how our grandparents did things, we could find out how to do things without using much electricity.

Now i want to go buy a candle and see how much it costs in comparison LOL.

Not sure if this book is in the Library but if it is check it out. Neat and cheap ideas to save energy or use the sun to do alot of your heating and even cooking. 'Sunshine to Dollars' by Steven Harris.

The cost of leaving your lights on depends on the size of your bulbs wattage and what your utility charges per kilowatt/hour.

Lets say you leave your light on 24/7 and it is a 60watt light bulb. Your cost per kwh is $.07 just to show you how to perform the calculation. So for every 1000kwh it cost you 7cents. so if you run a 60 watt bulb 24/7 for 30 days it would be 60x24x30 for a total of $4.28 a month.

60 x 24 is 2040watts used a day.
2040x7 is 14280 watts used a week.
2040x30 is 61200 watts used a month.
this is 61.2kwh or 61200 watts / 1000
61.2kwh x.07 is 4.28 per month.

That is one light bulb. Now think about how many hours a day you use a light in a room. Bathroom some lights have several bulbs in them for mirrors or vanity. Fan lights have several lights in some. It adds up. But it isnt gonna be the biggest cost.

Electric heaters, water heaters, stove/oven, coffee pot, grill, dryer, hair dryer, etc etc are big consumers of power. They use heat to do their job. Motors are next. washing machine, fridge, AC, dishwasher, pumps, heater blowers, etc etc use quit a bit of power. Then your lights and electronics depending on many factors. Remember computers have several motors in em today and use more power then most other electronics along with printers, copiers, fax machines on down.

I have 40 watt energy savers that use about 9watts about the same as a night light. But I have a wife and kids that like to leave em on.

If everyone would get more energy conscious we all would save money. It is because of those who dont care that the price of electricity is on the rise. We dont have enough power plants to keep up with the population growth. Do your part.

Answer 2

My dad has the same problem (70 and is BARELY getting by) he has added a couple fans to the house, that brought down the electric bill some (we live in the HOT south), he watches tv all the time, and only washes a "load" of clothes per week. He is on all electric, and shutting stuff down will help a little bit, but not as much as most people think.
He also changed regular light bulbs out for energy savers, and they have brought the electric bill down about 5$, not alot, but in his case, that's more in his pocket.
Doesn't cook, uses microwave alot, and he eats sandwiches, alot!
Also, he was told once to see how bad his water heater was, that may make your bill go nuts, due to a short, or whatever is going on with the heating element..if your's is old, have someone look at the element, and change it out.

Answer 3

Electric water heater? If so, there's your #1 energy user. If you don't use air conditioning, then the fridge is probably #2.

If you pay average rates (10c/kwh) and have an average porch light (60watt) that will cost about 7.2 cents per 12 hours, to give you some idea.

Your dryer costs 40-45 cents per hour to run.

Answer 4

Comparing computers to an AC is like comparing Apples to Oranges...the answer is no the computer does not take much power unless you have external drives and use them frequently...the typical bill is about 5 cents a day to run your computer or $15 a month...on average....

Answer 5

Clothes dryers are big users, look at cheap clotheslines for you clothes, indoor or outdoor, then use the dryer to tumble them with air only to soften and fluff them up after drying.

Answer 6

well the TV and the fridge take too much energy but you can install a timer, so that can help you to save energy

Answer 7

if it's on, it's costing you money. but don't substitute economy for safety.