City of Ames, IA
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Listed below are some common appliances, their wattage and an estimate of operating costs. There is also a simple formula for calculating operating costs below.
| Appliance | Watts | Hours/Mo | kWh/Mo | Avg. $/Mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Conditioner (Room) 6,000 BTU | 750 | 120 - 720 | 90 - 540 | 6.75 - 40.50 |
| Air Conditioner (Room) 9,000 BTU | 1050 | 120 - 720 | 126 - 756 | 9.45 - 56.70 |
| Air Conditioner (Central) 2.5 Tons | 3500 | 240 - 860 | 850 - 3000 | 63.75 - 225.00 |
| Can Opener | 175 | 1/12 - 1 | .01 - .18 | .00 - .01 |
| Ceiling Fan | 60 | 15 - 330 | 1 - 20 | .08 - 1.50 |
| Clock | 5 | 720 | 4 | .30 |
| Clothes Dryer | 5000 | 6 - 28 | 30 - 140 | 2.25 - 10.50 |
| Clothes Washer, Automatic (With Electric Water Heating) | 500 | 7 - 40 | 33 - 196 | 2.48 - 14.70 |
| Clothes Washer, Automatic (With Non-Electric Water Heating) | 500 | 7 - 40 | 3 - 16 | .23 - 1.20 |
| Coffee Maker | 900 | 4 - 30 | 4 - 27 | .30 - 2.03 |
| Computer (Monitor & Printer) | 200 | 25 - 160 | 5 - 32 | .38 -2.40 |
| Dehumidifier | 350 | 120 - 720 | 42 - 252 | 3.15 - 18.90 |
| Dishwasher (With Electric Water Heating) | 1300 | 8 - 40 | 20 - 102 | 1.50 - 7.65 |
| Dishwasher (With Non-Electric Water Heating) | 1300 | 8 - 40 | 3 - 16 | .23 - 1.20 |
| Drill | 300 | 3 - 7 | 1 - 2 | .08 - .15 |
| Electric Blanket | 180 | 30 - 90 | 5 - 16 | .38 - 1.20 |
| Electric Heater (Portable) | 1200 | 30 - 90 | 30 - 90 | 2.25 - 6.75 |
| Fan (Portable) | 115 | 18 - 52 | 2 - 6 | .15 - .45 |
| Food Blender | 390 | 3 - 5 | 1 - 2 | .08 - .15 |
| Food Freezer (15 cu. ft.) | 335 | 180 - 420 | 60 - 140 | 4.50 - 10.50 |
| Frying Pan | 1150 | 10 - 20 | 12 - 23 | .90 - 1.73 |
| Furnace Fan Motor (Intermittent) | 350 | 160 - 415 | 56 - 145 | 4.20 - 10.88 |
| Furnace Fan Motor (Continuous) | 350 | 720 | 252 | 18.90 |
| Hair Dryer (Portable) | 1000 | 1 - 10 | 1 - 10 | .08 - .75 |
| Heating Pad | 65 | 15 - 30 | 1 - 2 | .08 - .15 |
| Humidifier (Portable) | 100 | 80 - 540 | 8 - 54 | .60 - 4.05 |
| Iron (Hand) | 1000 | 1 - 10 | 1 - 10 | .08 - .75 |
| Lighting Single Lamp (60W) | 60 | 17 - 200 | 1 - 12 | .08 - .90 |
| Compact Fluorescent (60W Equiv) | 18 | 17 - 200 | .3 - 3.6 | .02 - .27 |
| Ceiling Fixture (3 bulbs) | 180 | 6 - 195 | 2 - 35 | .15 - 2.63 |
| Tri-Light (Table Lamp) | 100 | 10 - 200 | 1 - 20 | .08 - 1.5 |
| Chandelier (5 Lamp) | 300 | 10 - 183 | 3 - 55 | .23 - 4.13 |
| Fluorescent (2 Tube 4 ft.) | 100 | 10 - 200 | 1 - 20 | .08 - 1.50 |
| Microwave Oven | 1300 | 5 - 30 | 5 - 30 | .38 - 2.25 |
| Power Saw | 275 | 2 - 4 | .6 - 1 | .05 - .08 |
| Range | 12500 | 10 - 50 | 125 - 625 | 9.38 - 46.88 |
| Range (Self Cleaning Cycle Only) | 3200 | 1/2 - 1 1/2 | 2 - 5 | .15 - .38 |
| Refrigerator-Freezer Frost Free (17 cu. ft.) | 500 | 150 - 300 | 75 - 150 | 5.63 - 11.25 |
| Refrigerator (Non Frost Free - 13 cu. ft.) | 300 | 190 - 300 | 56 - 90 | 4.20 - 6.75 |
| Sewing Machine | 75 | 4 - 14 | .3 - 1 | .02 - .08 |
| Stereo | 30 | 1 - 170 | 0.03 - 5.1 | 0.01 - 0.38 |
| Television | 180 | 60 - 440 | 5 - 35 | .38 - 2.63 |
| Toaster | 1150 | 1 - 3.5 | 1 - 4 | .08 - .30 |
| Toothbrush | 10 | 1 - 2 | .01 - .02 | .00 |
| Vacuum Cleaner (Portable) | 800 | 2 - 6 | 2 - 5 | .15 - .38 |
| Video Cassette Recorder | 40 | 50 - 200 | 1 - 8 | .08 - .60 |
| Water Bed Heater | 400 | 150 - 300 | 60 - 120 | 4.50 - 9.00 |
| Water Heater Typical Family of 4 | 3800 | 98 - 138 | 375 - 525 | 28.13 - 39.38 |
In order to calculate the average operating cost for any electrical appliance you can use the following formula:
watts/1000 = kW x hours of operation = kWh x kWh rate = cost
Watts can usually be found on the appliance nameplate. If the nameplate lists amps:
volts x amps = watts
Example: How much does it cost to operate my portable electric heater? An electric heater wattage is usually given on the unit itself, or with the literature that comes with it. Our example is 1000 watts. I use the heater an average of 45 hours during winter months (1/2 hour per day for the three winter months). The City of Ames Electric Services electric rate during the winter is $.098. So -
1000 watts/1000 = 1 kW x 45 hours of operation = 45 kWh x $.098 = $4.41
Now we have an 8 amp heater. The calculation changes just a bit:
8 amps x 120 volts household current = 960 watts/1000 = .96 kW x 45 hours = 43.2 kWh x $.098 = $4.23