Electricity is one of the most expensive parts of the family budget. All devices work without electricity, without which a modern person cannot imagine his life - lighting devices, household appliances, electronics. To save money, you need to be able to calculate how much a particular device consumes and how much the owner of a one-room or multi-room apartment should pay for it. For the calculation, you need to understand what power is, and be able to determine it. How much electricity the apartment consumes on average will be determined by the type of device, the time of its use and other important parameters.
How to calculate electricity from household appliances
The ability to determine the power of equipment is a must for every tenant of the house. Not only the financial component, but also the security of the home depends on the ability to calculate electricity and determine the load of the device. If you plug in a too powerful device into an outlet that is not rated for this load and exceeds the specified limit, a fire may result.
Power can be found in the box from under the device or in the documentation for it. It is indicated in Watts (W, W). According to the indicated power, you can find the energy consumption. To do this, the load is multiplied by the duration of the appliance in hours.
Calculation of the main consumers of electricity
Each house uses a variety of household appliances - from electronic clocks to dishwashers. All of them consume electricity, and you need to be able to calculate the values for power from a single-phase or three-phase network. The total amount will depend on the standard and tariff set in the country.
Washer
This device belongs to powerful household appliances. The average power is 2000 watts. At one time, the machine runs for about an hour and a half. Accordingly, 2000 × 1.5 = 3000 watts of energy or 3 kW will be consumed per wash. This number is multiplied by the number of washes. For example, a person makes 10 washes per month - the machine will use 3 * 10 = 30 kW of electricity. When multiplied by the tariff, you get the price that the owner must pay the service provider.
Energy consumption will also be considered depending on the weight of the laundry and the selected mode. The runtime of the device also depends on these indicators. A significant part of the energy is spent on heating the water.
Computer and laptop
A stationary computer consists of a power supply and a monitor. Each consumes its own volume of electricity, so the power required for operation will be equal to their sum. On average, a power supply unit requires 350-550 watts. The load depends on the programs being executed. In the case of correspondence in social networks, energy consumption will be minimal, and when working in complex graphic programs - maximum. The monitor requires about 80 watts of energy to operate, depending on its size. Therefore, the average power will be approximately 0.5 kW * h.
The laptop consumes less power since only the power supply is involved. The average energy consumption will be 0.05-0.1 kW *
TV
As with a computer monitor, the power consumption of the TV depends on the screen size. The design of the device also has an effect.Old cathode-ray tube televisions require 60-100 watts, LCD models about 150-250 watts, plasma ones - 300-400 watts.
Standby also requires energy. This is due to the fact that a red light will burn on the screen, which also requires power. For devices based on a cathode ray tube, 2-3 watts is required, for modern televisions 4-6 watts.
Refrigerator
This is a device that works without interruption 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But depending on the time of year, the amount of electricity needed will be different. In winter, about 2 times less electricity is needed for work than in summer.
Refrigerators are divided into classes for energy consumption. Low-energy products consume energy approximately equal to the volume of the device in liters. On a device with a volume of 250 liters, an average of 250 kW per year is needed. The exact value can be found in the documentation for the refrigerator.
Kettle, iron, stove
An electric kettle on average requires 1.5-2.5 kWh of energy. Water heats up in about 4 minutes, i.e. this energy will be spent 15 times. The iron consumes approximately the same power, but it depends on the operating mode. Maximum load is required for initial heating. An electric stove is a powerful device, it requires approximately 3 kWh of energy to operate.
Microwave
The amount of electricity consumed depends on the volume, equipment, operating modes. For quick heating, 0.9 kWh is required, for defrosting 0.2-0.4 kWh. The volume of food also affects power - a large portion will require a large load.
Warm floor
Electricity consumption for a warm floor depends on the type and quality of thermal insulation, operation mode, room size, climatic conditions, type of coating and other important criteria. If the floor is the only and main source of heating, then about 0.2 kWh of energy will be spent on 1 square meter. To maintain a comfortable temperature in the room, 0.1-0.16 kWh of electricity per 1 sq.m will be consumed. To calculate the monthly cost of underfloor heating, you should multiply the consumption by 1 sq.m. per room area, working hours and number of days per month. For a more accurate definition, you can use the power meter. It is connected to a power outlet and to an electrical receptacle.
Power consumption of electric heating system
The supply of heat to a private cottage or home SNT organizes a central electric boiler. This device is often used by owners of small houses. The following indicators affect the cost of an induction device:
- Characteristics of an electric boiler. These include product power, runtime, number of circuits, tank volume.
- Characteristics of the heating circuit. The number of carriers, their types and individual parameters.
- The parameters of the building. Number of rooms, area, wall and floor material, quality of thermal insulation.
- Climatic conditions and time of year.
Calculation of consumed electricity is performed according to the following sample:
- The first point - the capacity of the boiler is recognized. Data on this parameter can be found in the instrument passport.
- The power should be multiplied by the number of hours per day during which the boiler operates.
- The daily rate is multiplied by the number of days in the month when the boiler is operating. In winter, it operates around the clock, and in summer, the number of working days can be several units.
- The resulting average daily number is divided in half to take into account the average heat load and power consumption.
You can save money by installing an automated system. It will monitor the operation of the device and the specific energy consumption, and also use it only in cases where the temperature is below the established norm. The room thermostat with a programmable controller, which measure the kilowatts used, act as control devices.
Power Consumption for Lighting
Lighting is an important part of energy consumption that can be reduced. Before calculating the electricity from the fixtures, you need to find out which bulbs are used. Classic incandescent lamps require more power for operation and are an economically disadvantageous light source. In order to reduce costs, increase efficiency, efficiency and service life, it is recommended to replace conventional lamps with LED ones. The cost of one product is quite high, but it quickly pays for itself during operation due to its long service life, low electricity consumption and high energy efficiency. In addition, they are completely safe and do not contain harmful components, therefore they are economically beneficial for creating a lighting group.
Methods for calculating the average energy consumption
Electricity consumption can be calculated using various methods.
- Removing the annual meter values and calculating the obtained average monthly consumption.
- By power, current, voltage of each household appliance.
Calculations can be done using online calculators. The program will perform all the necessary calculations and help to develop a system for optimizing waste of electricity.
In order to calculate electricity from the meter, the kW-hours indicated in the previous readings must be subtracted from the current meter value, not taking into account the decimal place.
Recommendations for energy conservation and increased energy efficiency
Cost optimization is an important task for each owner of a house or apartment. Only after analyzing the energy consumption tables will the owner know the weak points in the energy supply system. Usually, the highest power indicators are shown by the refrigerator and lamps. To reduce spending, you need to purchase light bulbs with less electricity and more often use natural light.
If possible, you can change the refrigerator to a low-power device. If this is not possible, it is recommended to move the device away from the wall. This will improve the ventilation of the space near the compressor, because of which the refrigerator will not heat up.
Daytime energy use is usually more expensive than nighttime. For this reason, some tasks should be left overnight with a multi-tariff system.
