Power Department

Stay Cool, Spend Wisely: Understanding The Cost of AC

The temperatures this summer have been well above normal for both the high temperatures as well as the minimum temperatures.  When outside temperatures rise, it’s common to turn down the AC in your home. For some, this means adding a window AC unit to one or more rooms.  As this may seem like a more efficient way to cool your house, a single 1500-watt window AC unit can add almost $100 to your monthly bill.  If you’re running multiple window AC units, the costs would be even greater. Next time you want to plug-in a window AC unit, stop and consider the cost so there is no surprise on your bill.  To calculate the cost of running your window AC unit, you can use this formula:  

(Window AC unit x hours used per day x kWh rate) ÷ 1,000 = daily electric rate x 30 days = monthly cost

Example: (1500w x 16 hrs x $0.13/kWh) ÷ 1000 = $3.12 daily electric cost   $3.12 X 30 = $93.60/month

 –Power Department

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