Power Consumption
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Power consumption may be defined as the amount of energy used by an apparatus. The power consumption of appliances is a major concern because of the high cost of electricity. In this article, I will not only show you the average power consumption of commonly used apparatus, but I will also help you to determine their power consumption using one or more methods.
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Mains Electricity
Mains electricity is the electricity flowing through the power lines of the electricity grid, the voltage and frequency vary with country. Mains electricity is not direct current (DC) like battery powered devices (and some appliances) use, it alternates at 50 or 60 hertz (50-60 cycles per second).
Mains electricity voltages range from 100 - 240 volts.
Determining and Understanding Power Consumption
The electrical power consumption of an apparatus is usually measured in watts. 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) is equal to 1000 watt-hours.
- 1 TW (Terawatt) = 1,000 GW or 1 trillion watts.
- 1 GW (Gigawatt) = 1,000 MW or 1 billion watts.
- 1 MW (Megawatt) = 1,000 kW or 1 million watts.
- 1 kW (Kilowatt) = 1,000 watts.
- 1 W (Watt) = 1,000 mW (Milliwatts).
- 1 mW (Milliwatt) = 1,000 microwatts.
- 1 µW (Microwatt) = 1,000 nanowatts.
- 1 nW (Nanowatt) = 1,000 picowatts.
Joules:
- 1 Wh = 3.6 kJ or 3600 Joules.
- 1 kWh = 3,600 Kilojoules.
- 1 MWh = 3,600,000 kJ, 3600 MJ, or 3.6 Gigajoules.
- kJ: Kilojoule.
- MJ: Megajoule.
- GJ: Gigajoule.
- Wh: Watt-hour.
- kWh: Kilowatt-hour.
- MWh: Megawatt-hour.
- GWh: Gigawatt-hour.
- TWh: Terawatt-hour.
Voltage:
- 1 kV: Kilovolt = 1,000 volts.
- 1 V: 1 Volt.
- 1 mV: 1 Millivolt (1/1000 of a volt).
- 1 µV: 1 Microvolt (1/1,000,000 of a volt)
If an apparatus is rated at 2 kW maximum, and is operated at its maximum wattage, then it would have used two kWh of energy after being left on for 1 hour.
One way to check the rated wattage of an apparatus is by looking at the label which is on the back of it. You should see either the rated wattage, or the voltage and amperage. The wattage is the voltage x amperage. So if the appliance is rated at 120 volts (V), and 2 amps (A), then it is a 240 watt appliance (maximum, it may not necessarily use this much energy). 1 Amp (A) = 1000 milliamps (or mA). So 200 mA = 0.2 A, 20 mA = 0.020 amps, and 2 mA = 0.002 amps.
Amperage = Wattage / Voltage.
Voltage = Wattage / Amperage.
The ampere is the unit of electric current. The volt is the unit of electromotive force.
Sadly, some devices do not have their power consumption printed on them, therefore you will have to measure it yourself, and you can do so with a device such as a power consumption meter, one example is the Kill A Watt.
How To Use Power Monitors
To use a power monitor such as the Kill A Watt, for example, you would simply plug the apparatus into it, and then plug the monitor into an outlet. Please read the manual carefully before doing anything. It should tell you the amperage, voltage, and power draw (in watts/kW) of the appliance. It will also help you to determine the amount of money that your appliances cost you because of their power consumption.
Average Wattage of Common Appliances
Please note that I listed only the rated wattage of the appliances below, some of them contain inverters and utilize energy efficiency improvement methods, so they do not all consume that much electricity, all the time, and some items have a peak wattage, which is not the actual wattage. Always check the back of your appliances for the power consumption. If a personal stereo system says "520 Watts Peak" on the front, then check the back, because that is not likely to be the actual wattage.
- Standing fan: 30-60 watts.
- Ventilation fan: 50 watts.
- Air conditioner window unit: 750-3000 watts.
- Central air conditioning system: 3800-6000 watts.
- Refrigerator: 400-700 watts.
- Dishwasher: 1200 watts
- Clothes dryer: 1000-6000 watts.
- Single room heater: 500-1500 watts.
- Water heater: 2000-6000 watts.
- Hair dryer: 600-3000 watts.
- Toaster Oven: 1200 watts
- Personal computer system unit: 200-1000 watts.
- 17 inch Personal computer CRT monitor: 80 - 140 watts.
- 17 inch Personal computer LCD monitor: 20-60 watts.
- 32 inch CRT television set: 180 watts
- Fluorescent light bulb for typical room: 7-23 watts.
- Incandescent light bulb for typical room: 25-100 watts.
- Home stereo: 50-350 watts.
- Computer speaker system: 10-200 watts.
Cost of electricity
Written on July 29, 2010:
- United Kingdom: ₤0.07/kWh.
- Germany: €0.19/kWh.
- Sweden: 0.50 Krone/kWh.
- Norway: 0.50 Krone/kWh.
- North America (U.S): $0.10 USD/kWh.
DOE: Average Retail Price of Electricity
Additional Information
BBC GCSE Bite Size: UK Mains Electricity
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