Calculating energy consumption? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Prince · 12-27-2003, 01:05 PM

Something in our apartment is wasting away about 50 bucks more power per month than it should.

Out of curiosity, I'd like to know how much power my Playstation consumes, but I'm not very savvy at all when it comes to electricity-related stuff, so I hope someone can do the math for me.

The game console is European, and I am using it in the States with the help of a step-up transformer. It transforms the 100/120V current to the 220/240V that the device requires. The machines specifications say it requires "220/240V 50/60Hz 10W". I could try and draw a conclusion, but I'd prefer not to, hopefully someone who knows about this stuff can estimate how many kWh's this thing consumes in, say, 30 days, assuming it is on 24/7.

saltfish · 12-27-2003, 08:57 PM

It really doesen't matter the voltage when you're dealing with wattage. So...

10W * 24Hrs = 240 Watt Hours

240 WH * 30 Days = 7200 Watt Hours or 7.2KWh

Little impact on a power bill, considering an apartment can use between 500KWh up to and including 2.4MegaWatt hours monthy(yes, I've seen it)

Prince · 12-28-2003, 05:26 AM

Oh alright, thank you for your reply. I'm glad it doesn't do more of a dent than that. We live in a small apartment with 3 rooms, our AC is off, and we still use over 1,000 kWh each month, that's way more than we should be consuming. The only things we have on all the time are the fridge, the game console (I just put it on pause, not turn it off, old habit) and the computer. But I've heard that a typical home computer consumes very little power, so... We're having an electrician come by on Monday, he's going to measure the consumption of each device or something.

Thanks again for your reply, I'm really kind of new to this stuff.

saltfish · 12-28-2003, 02:35 PM

Are you turning your monitor off? Does your computer send itself to sleep after a certain period of time?

Monitors are HUGE drains of power.

Another question, how many of those black box transformers do you have plugged into the wall? Some of those can use up to 75 watts continuous! Even when they are not plugged into their host device!

Do you have an electric water heater? Electric heat?

-SF

Prince · 12-28-2003, 03:09 PM

I do turn the monitor off. I only have one transformer, but it does not say how much it consumes.

I assume the water heater's using electricity. I don't know what other options they have here in America, I'm just used to choosing between electricity and oil. We have no heating, other than the 'Heat' option of the AC, which we do not use. The AC is entirely turned off.

I suspect it might be our fridge. It came with the flat (we rent). It's a Wizard Citation, from 1975. Looks as good as it sounds.

saltfish · 12-28-2003, 05:39 PM

You may be suprised to find that, if your water heater has not been regularly maintained, you may be using a great deal of electricity.

As the water enters the water heater some of the sediment in the water will sink to the bottom of the heater, eventually over time this sediment can build up and take up a great deal of space in the heater.

I had a water heater that did this once, we noticed that we had gas bills that were extremely high, once the water heater was replaced our gas bill went down 75%.

-SF

Prince · 12-28-2003, 05:58 PM

That might also go to explain why we get much less hot water nowadays than we used to. We run out of it really quickly....thanks for the tip, that's worth looking into.

scarab77 · 12-29-2003, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Prince
...and the computer. But I've heard that a typical home computer consumes very little power

I guarantee it is taking a LOT more than your playstation (unless it's a laptop). They're better than they used to be...but still suck a lot of power. If you can't turn it off, can you put it to sleep when you're not using it? Most monitors will shutdown after a while of non-use...if yours does not, then that will eat a lot of power, too.

How old is the refridgerator? When we replaced our 15yo unit with a new one, our electric bill immediately went down $20/mo. And the new unit is bigger than the old one.

LewisCouch · 12-29-2003, 08:26 PM

I agree that the two most likely culprits are the water heater and the fridge. An old fridge with a compressor that runs constantly can really suck the juice. Also, when was the last time the coolant was replaced? Usually not a concern for most, but a 28 year old appliance should probably be checked if not replaced.

Vogad · 12-30-2003, 06:49 AM

Interesting...$50 more than normal??? Is someone tapped into your meter??? 1000kwh is not unreasonable if you're using "strip heating" (thermostat set at 80) , have an old electric water heater (lots of long hot showers) , and use 100W light bulbs everywhere....

Prince · 12-30-2003, 07:00 AM

Yeah, I agree, but our AC's completely turned off, that means no heating or cooling, we certainly don't take long hot showers as we run out of hot water really quickly, and our light bulbs are just typical 60W ones...

I don't know when the refrigerator had its coolant replaced, I don't know what a coolant is, to be honest, but the thing certainly looks like it hasn't been touched in a coon's age.

12-27-2003, 01:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	Calculating energy consumption? Something in our apartment is wasting away about 50 bucks more power per month than it should. Out of curiosity, I'd like to know how much power my Playstation consumes, but I'm not very savvy at all when it comes to electricity-related stuff, so I hope someone can do the math for me. The game console is European, and I am using it in the States with the help of a step-up transformer. It transforms the 100/120V current to the 220/240V that the device requires. The machines specifications say it requires "220/240V 50/60Hz 10W". I could try and draw a conclusion, but I'd prefer not to, hopefully someone who knows about this stuff can estimate how many kWh's this thing consumes in, say, 30 days, assuming it is on 24/7. __________________ Who is John Galt?

12-28-2003, 05:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	Oh alright, thank you for your reply. I'm glad it doesn't do more of a dent than that. We live in a small apartment with 3 rooms, our AC is off, and we still use over 1,000 kWh each month, that's way more than we should be consuming. The only things we have on all the time are the fridge, the game console (I just put it on pause, not turn it off, old habit) and the computer. But I've heard that a typical home computer consumes very little power, so... We're having an electrician come by on Monday, he's going to measure the consumption of each device or something. Thanks again for your reply, I'm really kind of new to this stuff. __________________ Who is John Galt?

12-28-2003, 03:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	I do turn the monitor off. I only have one transformer, but it does not say how much it consumes. I assume the water heater's using electricity. I don't know what other options they have here in America, I'm just used to choosing between electricity and oil. We have no heating, other than the 'Heat' option of the AC, which we do not use. The AC is entirely turned off. I suspect it might be our fridge. It came with the flat (we rent). It's a Wizard Citation, from 1975. Looks as good as it sounds. __________________ Who is John Galt?

12-28-2003, 05:58 PM	#7 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	That might also go to explain why we get much less hot water nowadays than we used to. We run out of it really quickly....thanks for the tip, that's worth looking into. __________________ Who is John Galt?

12-29-2003, 08:26 PM	#9 (permalink)
LewisCouch Insane Location: Pacific NW	I agree that the two most likely culprits are the water heater and the fridge. An old fridge with a compressor that runs constantly can really suck the juice. Also, when was the last time the coolant was replaced? Usually not a concern for most, but a 28 year old appliance should probably be checked if not replaced. __________________ "The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk." -- Massimo d'Azeglio

12-27-2003, 08:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
saltfish !?!No hay pantalones!?! Location: Indian-no-place	It really doesen't matter the voltage when you're dealing with wattage. So... 10W * 24Hrs = 240 Watt Hours 240 WH * 30 Days = 7200 Watt Hours or 7.2KWh Little impact on a power bill, considering an apartment can use between 500KWh up to and including 2.4MegaWatt hours monthy(yes, I've seen it)

12-28-2003, 02:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
saltfish !?!No hay pantalones!?! Location: Indian-no-place	Are you turning your monitor off? Does your computer send itself to sleep after a certain period of time? Monitors are HUGE drains of power. Another question, how many of those black box transformers do you have plugged into the wall? Some of those can use up to 75 watts continuous! Even when they are not plugged into their host device! Do you have an electric water heater? Electric heat? -SF

12-28-2003, 05:39 PM	#6 (permalink)
saltfish !?!No hay pantalones!?! Location: Indian-no-place	You may be suprised to find that, if your water heater has not been regularly maintained, you may be using a great deal of electricity. As the water enters the water heater some of the sediment in the water will sink to the bottom of the heater, eventually over time this sediment can build up and take up a great deal of space in the heater. I had a water heater that did this once, we noticed that we had gas bills that were extremely high, once the water heater was replaced our gas bill went down 75%. -SF

12-30-2003, 06:49 AM	#10 (permalink)
Vogad Registered User Location: Sooner Nation	Interesting...$50 more than normal??? Is someone tapped into your meter??? 1000kwh is not unreasonable if you're using "strip heating" (thermostat set at 80) , have an old electric water heater (lots of long hot showers) , and use 100W light bulbs everywhere....

12-30-2003, 07:00 AM	#11 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	Yeah, I agree, but our AC's completely turned off, that means no heating or cooling, we certainly don't take long hot showers as we run out of hot water really quickly, and our light bulbs are just typical 60W ones... I don't know when the refrigerator had its coolant replaced, I don't know what a coolant is, to be honest, but the thing certainly looks like it hasn't been touched in a coon's age. __________________ Who is John Galt?