Electrical Usage / Costs
 

Anybody gone thru and determined the electrical cost of appliances, lights, TV's, etc??

What is the monthly electric cost for:
Refrig
TV
Interior lights
Exterior lights
Garage door openers
Wine cooler refrig
WiFi
Ceiling fans
Microwave

Yes, usage determines cost. Yes, specific models determine cost..............but just wondering if someone has gone thru and looked at EnergyGuide labels or other sources.

:popcorn::popcorn:

Not much help but:

When we're away from TV we turn everything off apart from the fridge, batteryMinders on two carts and the smoke detectors

Outside of the fixed charge, usage is usually around $5 per month

Seems like a job for ChatGPT. Insert your electricity cost and ask.

If really want to know get one of these or one similar?

Robot or human?

The new SECO page provides some very gross analysis of this.

I remember seeing another poster mention something like the Sense system in the past though I don't know if even that could provide the resolution you are asking for.

Some of these smart plugs might give you the level of detail but you might find the cost of purchasing the necessary number of plugs was higher than the cost of the electricity.

You don’t run fans or HVAC to control humidity?

I have a Sense installed that provides realtime measurements and time period summaries. A few examples below.

You can also have it alert you if something remains on more than X amount of time. It alerted me the AC was running continuously a couple of weeks ago due to blower motor failing.

The Sense unit takes time to learn and discover devices and is less than perfect. Devices get burried in the "Always On" category but you can monitor real time to measure anything by simply turning it off and on.

If you want real time then try one of these. I used to have one and after my curiosity wore off I got rid of it or I would let you have it. I think Lowes carries them to.
Amazon.com

SECO gives a rough idea. You can drill through the tabs and get a little more granular.

Attachment 108672

dewilson....you forgot A/C. also depends on how big your house is, how many people. Elect or Gas? My bill in winter is about $ 80 and in the summer about $125, no fans used. I am also in Sumter County and my house is all electric

Where is Toymeister when we need him. He measures all this stuff.

The link below is what ChatGPT says for monthly SECO electricity costs about the items you listed assuming a 2100 square foot house. YMMV.

ChatGPT - Sumter County electricity rates

Big drivers of electricity usage
 

If you are on seco energy, they will publish a monthly report that breaks down your total electric usage by appliances... You can define the types and numbers of energy eaters in your house.

That said, the biggest drivers of electric usage are your air conditioning /heat as well as electric clothes dryer... By far!

Careful if you shut A/C off too. ( mold )

You don’t run the A/C in the summer ?

Not all devices use the same amount of electrical power. I would suggest as a start that you google the specification of each of your devices to see what the power requirements are. Once you know how many "watts per hour" each device uses you can then answer your own question by estimating the time that you use each device per month. Example in general a led light uses less power than a traditional light bulb and a flat screen TV uses less power than a TV that uses Tubes. To answer your specific question one would need to know the exact model of each of your appliances and the amont of time you use it.

For what it's worth, we had a new HVAC installed last year before we were in dire straits.

It was winding down on its lifespan, so we wanted it in before the urgency and changes.
So glad we did it, as houses all around us were down and out during the hottest days.

Anyway, with the new system-we had a SMART thermostat installed and easily programmed and directly linked to SECO.

Honeywell/SECO both send a total report every month via email., the likes of which you asked about above.

It's quite impressive, + we can see the Ultra IMPORTANT humidity levels in the home when we're traveling and adjust it accordingly, just by accessing our thermostat remotely.

My husband loves these reports and tells me the oven isn't being used enough!

Hope this helps.

Look in the manual, it tells you how much electric the appliance uses a year

Thanks for the call out

In my original post:
Yes, usage determines cost. Yes, specific models determine cost..............but just wondering if someone has gone thru and looked at EnergyGuide labels or other sources.

Yes, been on the site.

I didn't forget................I was looking for costs for "the other stuff".

Thanks

The only way to get real world power consumption is to measure.

Labels and Energy Guides are estimates to meet regulatory requirements at best and marketing propaganda at worst.

Seco app definitely is a guesstimate. Our always on every month is $19, our pool pump running 8 hours $6. Refrigerator $4

So as an experiment, in March, unplugged everything except for microwave, fridge, wifi. We have Seco and TECO. Pool pump no heat, 8hours per day, AC turned to 79, which it didn’t run. We were out of town, for 24 days, of the 29 month report.

Next Seco report while we were gone. Always on $16 yet it also listed Refrigerator as $7 and pool pump $9. I plugged in everything on the first day of next billing cycle. Following month Always on $17, pool pump $11.

Seco app is a nice toy, but accurate not even close. I found the always on didn’t change much by unplugging.

:BigApplause:

How are you a/c ducts not full of mold without running your a/c when you’re gone? As a Floridian born and raised, I’ve seen my fair share of mold in a/c vents. I need to know your secret.

its a standard formula based upon a bunch of historical relationships, and has assumptions baked in, based upon your house profile:

Refrigerator always on,
lights on a night, 7pm to 10/11pm, not during day
cooking appliances on between 5 pm and 7 pm
washer dryer on X times a week
water heater always on if electric
Television on x% of the time during day, y% at night

etc. . .

That's why its important to create your profile of house appliance configuration, but also realize that its an average and assumes 100% occupancy rates.

Its a government mandated type of "data->information" for cost savings initiatives.

Electric Transmission and distribution is a monopoly, therefore regulated as such. Due to federal statutory laws, the electric monopoly is allowed a guaranteed return on investments / assets, and costs. Each state oversees their electric monopoly as the customer representative. The state then demands that the electric monopoly provide certain benefits to the customers and penalizes for non compliance for many activities, some you would not expect. Yes, I used to work at a decent size electric monopoly in finance and IT.

So the IoT is a catchy phrase, and different organizations pitch different options to regulators, to electric T&D companies, etc. and some get a thumbs up. This smart meter concept has caught on across the country, and many states are requiring these "data->information" web sights. As a trade off for being a monopoly, the company must provide cost saving potential for all home owners, to comply with state desires. .

The cost of electricity adjusted for inflation has decreased over the years, and has exponentially risen in stability and guaranteed availability. . its no longer a large portion of your monthly budget.