6.1f. ERMUSR 11-17-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Understanding your electric bill. It's important to note that your utility bill may reflect charges for multiple utility services. The typical electric portion is broken down into three components: 1. Customer Charge - This fixed charge does not change, regardless of how much or how little electricity you use during the month. It covers the cost for billing, meter reading, equipment, and maintenance. 2. Electric Usage - This is the charge based on the amount of electricity you use, and it usually varies from month to month. Elk River Municipal Utilities has separate summer and winter rates. 3. Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) - This also varies based on ERMU's wholesale power costs. The PCA is set at zero, but may fluctuate up as a surcharge or down as a credit that will be applied to your monthly energy use. Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh of energy is equal to 1,000 watt hours and will power a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours (100 watts x 10 hours =1,000 watt hours = 1 kWh) Appliance and equipment wattage and operating costs can vary greatly. The following formulas will show you how to determine where your electricity dollars are being spent. STEP 1 The first step is to determine your average cost per kWh. Average kWh cost = $ amount of the energy portion of your electric bill divided by kWh used. EXAMPLE $127.00 =1,000 kWh = $.127 per kWh STEP 2 To find your daily cost for electricity, divide your bill amount by the number of days in the billing cycle. EXAMPLE $127.00 _ 30 days = $4.23 which is your daily cost To find the daily cost per person in your family, divide the daily cost by the number of people in your family. EXAMPLE $4.23 _ 4 people = $1.06 per person per day STEP 3 Since the wattage of an appliance determines the electrical use per hour, the third step is to determine the wattage of the appliances of concern. The wattage of an appliance is found on the name plate. Electrical load may also be expressed in volts and amperes (amps), rather than watts. If so, multiply volts times amps to determine the wattage. EXAMPLE 120 volts x 12.1 amps = 1,452 watts STEP 4 Use the formula shown in the following examples to estimate use and cost. A light uses 100 watts and is left on 15 hours. How many kWh are used and what does it cost you? EXAMPLE kWh used = (100 watts x 15 hours) _ 1,000 watts = 1.5 kWh Your cost = 1.5 kWh x $.127 = $.19 A space heater uses 1,500 watts and is used 3 hours per night, every night in December. How many kWh are used and what does it cost you? EXAMPLE kWh used = (1,500 watts x 3 hours per day x 31 days) _ 1,000 watts = 139.5 kWh Your cost = 139.5 kWh x $.127 = $17.72 185 3