Working out power consumption

[pyrocam]

Ok one of my flatmates has this heater that looks like its just a long tube element that plugs straight into the mains. it gets red hot and he leaves this thing on 24/7 incl when hes not in the house. I went a bit apeshit at him for leaving it on and he says 'ooooh yeah I always leave it on its only 50w' which I dont really believe but I havent had a chance to look at it.

how do I work out how much a 50w element heater would use in a month.

I dont have my powerbill with me but im with mercury if anyone knows their rates.

[SixPackBack]

Ok one of my flatmates has this heater that looks like its just a long tube element that plugs straight into the mains. it gets red hot and he leaves this thing on 24/7 incl when hes not in the house. I went a bit apeshit at him for leaving it on and he says 'ooooh yeah I always leave it on its only 50w' which I dont really believe but I havent had a chance to look at it.

how do I work out how much a 50w element heater would use in a month.

I dont have my powerbill with me but im with mercury if anyone knows their rates.

Seriously dude i would be far more concerned about the fire risk.

[bungbung]

You'll be charged per 1000W/hour. A unit (about 12c depending on your plan) is leaving your 50W heater on for 20hours. 24 hours, 30 days @ 50W is 36 Units.

So maybe $4.32 (based on your 12c unit price, look at your power bill)

[kerryg]

You'll be charged per 1000W/hour. A unit (about 12c depending on your plan) is leaving your 50W heater on for 20hours. 24 hours, 30 days @ 50W is 36 Units.

So maybe $4.32 (based on your 12c unit price, look at your power bill)

A 50 watt heater? Really? I thought most heaters were measured in 100s if not thousands of watts? A 50 watt lightbulb maybe

[Ixion]

Ok one of my flatmates has this heater that looks like its just a long tube element that plugs straight into the mains. it gets red hot and he leaves this thing on 24/7 incl when hes not in the house. I went a bit apeshit at him for leaving it on and he says 'ooooh yeah I always leave it on its only 50w' which I dont really believe but I havent had a chance to look at it.

how do I work out how much a 50w element heater would use in a month.

I dont have my powerbill with me but im with mercury if anyone knows their rates.

Assuming it is 50w

(50 * 24 * 30) / 1000 equals the usage in a 30 day month . IN kWH. The cost for a kWH will be shown on your power bill. It varies by suburb (!) . Mine is 16.10 cents per kWH. So that would work out at $5.80 per month

Generically :

Consumption in watts * 24 (hrs in a day) * days / 1000 (to get kilowatts).

Watts is volts (230 ) * amps. maybe marked on the device.

[crashe]

No body needs to have a heater going 24/7.

Make you flatemate pay for most of the power bill ...
he will soon learn to turn the heater off.

There is also a risk of a fire as well.

[bungbung]

Is it a cupboard heater? they're about 50W or even less.

Isn't Hibiscus Coast somewhere warm? what is he doing with a heater on?


Ixion, 16.1c? crikey I hope your fixed daily charge is cheap cheap.

I pay (it turns out) 14.34c, but 90c per day. (incl gst) thats Genesis, in Wellington.

[Waylander]

Tell him to chuck another blanket on his bed and quit being a wimp.

[pyrocam]

yeah fire risk is the biggest one but ive got good insurance so if the fuck bruns the house down I can punch him in the face AND get all new stuff.

but yeah i just confirmed with my power company what you guys have said. im looking at about $5 a month. apparently theyre really ecconomical.

The calculation they used was:
1000 watts / wattage of appliance = hours it takes to use one unit

720 hours in a month

so lets say a 50w appliance takes 20 hours to use 1 KWH. then 720/20 = 36kWh per month = $5.1768 +gst

I pay:
58.27c per day +gst
14.38c per kwh +gst


the other thing is. the wimp has one of the smallest rooms and 2 people sleeping in there. I have 10 times the amount of glass in my room (im not exaggerating I have two walls of near solid windows) + the biggest room in the house (used to be lounge with a fireplace) and its just me and I havent used a heater in my room..... ok rant over.



Im getting really sick of having to be the person to bring this up with people though. even when other people agree with me Im the one to have to bitch to them.

[zjet]

BE WARNED

i belive my flatmate has done the same thing i don't know about the heater but its a Bar heater and my bill has hit the roof ..... normal monthly bill $90

This month $230

WTF i went app like for abit Its crazy over double my normal bill

[Racey Rider]

But!
Is the insurance company going to pay out on the fire damage when they find out a heater was left going all day unattended???

And,,
Even if they Do pay out,, Tell your flat mate, the insurance company will be coming after him to get their payout money Back if his unattended heater started the fire!!

[vifferman]

Our last powerbill was $440 for the month.

I reckon it's all the hotwater, but the vifferbabe reckons it's all the PCs, servers, and assorted electronic crap (a couple of amps, including a genuine 300W/channel job) whirling away in the basement 24/7.

Could be those ferkin pet rats, up all hours of the night partying...

[pyrocam]

this is a pretty good guide to working out what your stuff is doing

http://www.consumer.org.nz/topic.asp...summary&bhcp=1

[jrandom]

dunno about that 50 watts eh. you should really confirm that.

what you want is to buy one of those little dick smith ammeters.

then strip a section of the power wires coming out the back of the heater, and hold the probes on them while its runing.

[madboy]

So is it seriously only a 50w heater? Jeez, I thought they were all heaps more than that... not that I care, I don't have flatmates. I have my own home, and only a partner and daughter to suck up power... but we have a wood burner with a wetback, a mate is in the demolition trade (cheap firewood) and our neighbour works for a supermarket and drops a used wooden pellet or two off each week during winter (free firewood)...

And I still have $120/month power bills during winter!! Must be the half hour showers I have