how do i figure out how much a heater costs to run

gregkim

calculations for cost of a 1500w heater

Julius793

Take an old poco bill and see how much they charge for a kilowatt hour. Multiply by 1.5 and that will be your answer per hour

__________________
Electricity will kill you if you give it a chance

Billy_Bob

Actually take your electric bill, then divide the amount of the bill by the number of kilowatt hours used. That is your cost per kilowatt hour including taxes and fees.

(My utility charges 10 cents for electricity only, but I pay 13 cents including the taxes and fees.)

Then look at the wattage on the heater. If 1000 watts, then one hour of running it would be your cost above.

More...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilowatt_hour

gregzoll

Is it 120 or 240 volts? At 120 volts, it is 12.5 amps, for 240 volts, it is 6.25. 12.5 amps is 1.152kW, 6.25 is 1.152kW. Well look at that, they both come out at the same amount, regardless of the voltage.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Now listen, Cadet. I've got a job for you. See this button?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Don't touch it! It's the History Eraser button, you fool!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: So what'll happen?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: That's just it. We don't know. Maybe something bad, maybe something good. I guess we'll never know, 'cause you're going to guard it. You won't touch it, will you?

jproffer

jlmran

Wrong thread maybe?

a_lost_shadow

gregkim,
Take a look at your electric bill. If you only have 1 electric rate, then Julius and Billy_Bob hit it right on the nail.

If your POCO is like mine, we've got a baseload allocation of kWh at a lowish rate. And then an overage rate for any we go above our quota. In this case you'll have to estimate how many hours you plan to use the heater. Then look at your electric bill and see if that will push you above your quota. If so, then your cost to run the heater will be:
Now you may need to look back at a bill from the month you're interested in. I know my POCO (PGE) changes the baseload quantities by season, and they may even do it by month.

Finally, if your POCO has different rates by the hour then it gets even more complicated. But I don't believe that this is a common case and will leave the details off unless you request them.

gregzoll

Nope, correct thread. Why people worry about how much a space heater uses, but they do not worry about how much their dryer, wash machine, dishwasher, computer, electric furnace (well, there are some out there), costs them to run.

For me, it would come out about 9 cents an hour to run. Not something that I would worry about, unless someone ran it 24/7, then it would start costing.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Now listen, Cadet. I've got a job for you. See this button?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Don't touch it! It's the History Eraser button, you fool!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: So what'll happen?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: That's just it. We don't know. Maybe something bad, maybe something good. I guess we'll never know, 'cause you're going to guard it. You won't touch it, will you?

jlmran

Then, where/why did the voltage consideration get introduced?

gregzoll

They left out what voltage, so to make it simple for them, if they ever come back, the bases are covered. Someone has to do the math for these people, since they never teach this stuff in school. It should be one of the first things that kids should be taught in basic Algebra, in how to use Ohm's law. I had it in my basic math book, in the algebra chapter, when I was in high school.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Now listen, Cadet. I've got a job for you. See this button?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Don't touch it! It's the History Eraser button, you fool!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: So what'll happen?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: That's just it. We don't know. Maybe something bad, maybe something good. I guess we'll never know, 'cause you're going to guard it. You won't touch it, will you?

jlmran

You are aware of the OPs other post?

Julius793

Good point it should be taught in school however for some of us it still wouldn't help!

__________________
Electricity will kill you if you give it a chance

Daniel Holzman

The voltage idea is just a little inside humor on this forum. The question of whether a 120V tool costs more to run than a 240 volt tool of the same power is a pretty common question. Of course the cost to run an electric device is strictly a function of the energy consumed (kilowatt hours), since the power company measures energy consumption, not voltage, amperage, or even power (except with a few sophisticated time of day meters), so this is a little joke for those who have seen the same question posted perhaps 25 times, in slightly different formats.

gregzoll

There is another thread on this same subject, posted by a one hit poster?

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Now listen, Cadet. I've got a job for you. See this button?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: Don't touch it! It's the History Eraser button, you fool!
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: So what'll happen?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
: That's just it. We don't know. Maybe something bad, maybe something good. I guess we'll never know, 'cause you're going to guard it. You won't touch it, will you?

Julius793

There is

__________________
Electricity will kill you if you give it a chance