After a surprisingly high power bill for the last 2 months, I am looking into where all the power went. One thing that I have done differently the last month was leave my linux box on all the time. Since the bill came in today I want to figure out how much a desktop computer costs to keep running all the time.
I found a site with some power consumption numbers that I decided to use. I looked at other sites and they had similar numbers.
So I did some calculations. I wanted to figure out how much cost per month, so I figured how many hours are in 30 days (720). The cost on the bill is 0.047 $ / kWh. I multiplied those to get the cost per kW in a month to get 33.84 $ / kW*month.
Then I get these numbers:
This doesn't explain the large bill... so I'm going to run an experiment and not have the box on all the time and see what the bill is. I really want to isolate what device is using all the power...
My brother had a friend back in college who lived with 2 roommates. They had a power meter on their apartment so they could see how much power was being used. The roommates continually blamed high power bills on his computer. So, he unplugged everything in the house, and then turned on his computer. Very little action on the meter. Then he plugged in one of their space heaters. That used a lot of power. Anyway, the moral of the story is that its really important to figure out where the power drain is coming from, before you point fingers.
ReplyDeleteSome likely sources though. Light bulbs. Switch over to fluorescents. This can save a lot of money. If you pay of electrically heated hot water, then try to take shorter showers, or ones without so much hot water. Maybe those new low flow showerheads they are installing will help.
Electric heating, if you do it that way, is a big cost factor. Turn down the heat during the night, or during the day if you aren't around. This can save you a lot. Big appliances like the fridge and stove, depending on their age can be quite a drain on the power. Anyway, how high is your bill. When I payed for power in an apartment, it was often over $120 a month. I know that was expensive.
Computers actually use very little power. It's probably the major appliances, water heaters or space heaters that are the culprits.
ReplyDeleteMy hydro bills have gone up every month since i moved into my apartment like 4 years ago, and i'm pretty sure that my hydro usage has remained consistent. At the beginning, it was like $15/month (oh yeah!). The last one that i got was like $35/month (WTF?). Not that $35 is a pile, but when it has more than doubled, you start to wonder. Plus, i get the bill every 2 months, so going from a $30 bill to a $70 gets me a little pissed.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, i can't control the heat in my apartment, so the best that i could do is start to shut my PC off when i'm not using it, and to eat and watch TV in the dark. Oooooh, fun!
How much is your hydro bill usually, anyway?
Well, we have only gotten like 2 bills, each being for 2 months.
ReplyDeleteThe first one was worked out to be like 35 $ / month. This new one is 100 $ / month. A pretty big jump.
I don't know what has really changed that much. We do have electric power, but I don't think that we really changed what the temp was at all. We don't pay for hot water and our fridge / stove are new. So it's either the lights or more likely the heater. So it'll be a balance between wearing a toque inside and paying a lot.
The fact that you didn't adjust the temperature very much in your apartment doesn't dictate how much your heaters will be running. The rate at which you are losing heat due to cold temperatures outside will determine the amount of time the heaters have to be running to keep the apartment temperature consistent. No? Oui? No?
ReplyDeletePush for better windows...and insulation...
I agree with James... on average it's been colder outside mid-Decemeber to mid-February (bill #2) than it has mid-October to mid-December (bill #1). Assuming of course that those are the correct approximate dates... but we all know what happens when we Ass-U-Me!
ReplyDeleteIf heat loss is your problem, I know from experience (if you can't use that window-saran-wrap stuff) that some good, relatively substantial curtains will help keep the heat from escaping through your windows and patio door. Or even a blanket if you don't have/can't afford curtains!
ReplyDeleteYou can also ask the hydro folks to check the meter again and rebill you. Sometimes they make mistakes.
ReplyDeleteDid you actually compare the kW consumption and unit cost on the two bills? Maybe the cost per kW went up.
I'll have to double check, but I don't think that the cost went up. They redid how they show the bills so it was a little hard to compare.
ReplyDeleteI think that we'll take a better look at getting curtains or anything up in the family room... it's just an weird setup. Ah well. We'll see how it goes.
Hello to everyone out there. I am looking into renting a new 1 bedroom apartment which is about 550sq.ft. It has a apt. size washer/dryer, fridge, stove and electric heating. Does anyone know how much aproximately I will be paying for utilities in Ottawa?
ReplyDeleteYour help is appreciated
Our 2 bedroom place has electric heating, but no washer / dryer. We pay anywhere between 15-100 $/month depending on the time of year.
ReplyDeleteJust a note: if you are staying at a place in the winter, good curtains (or that plastic wrap stuff) will stop drafts and save you cash.
I dont know about you but, I live in Puerto Rico, Where Power is outrageously expensive ($.476 First 425kW/h, and $.416 every 1kW/h after 425kW/h) resulting in a monthly bill of around $350. If you do the calculations and they dont add up, it might be because of added fees such as cost for fuel (for the power Plants to use) usualy they only charge for a percentage of the fuel. So check it out... Oh and by the way... clothes dryers use 5kW/h, washers use 2kW/load, stoves use anywhere from 2kW/h+, and as for computers... it really depends on the power supply, average computers use 250w, meanwile you can upgrade up to 600w (for gaming) .
ReplyDelete