AmerenUE bill

[helpme74]

I have this light i'm trying to find out how much more my bill will be every month?
Space-saving unit performs the job of three different fixtures. Combines 10000°K HQI double-ended metal halide, actinic blue compact fluorescent, and 1 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED lamps in a low profile, anodized black aluminum housing. External remote magnetic HQI ballast and internal compact fluorescent electronic ballast(s) with independent on/off switches for convenient 24-hour day and night lighting conditions. 15" x 2-3/4" high
48" 492W this has two 150 watt MH but total light output is 492watts this is with all lights on.

 

[scsinet]

Not enough information. We'd need to know your cost per kilowatt-hour (KWh or KW/h) to figure this.
Regardless, to figure this kind of thing out, assuming 30 days per month, the formula is:
(WATTAGE-OF-DEVICE / 1000) * NUMBER-OF-HOURS-PER-DAY * 30 * (Cost-Per-KWh-In-Cents / 100)
So, assuming $0.09 per KWh and 10 hours per day,
(492 / 1000) * 12 * 30 * (9 / 100)
.492 * 12 * 30 * 0.09
$15.94 per month.
FYI... many electric companies charge on a sliding scale depending on amount used, especially in the summer months, for example, they may charge one price for the first 1000KWh, a higher price or lower price for every KWh thereafter. It may also reverse in the summer (more after the 1st 1000 in the summer, less in the winter, etc). It makes it really hard to figure out. The best thing to do is to gather a years worth of bills and figure an average KWh rate for your area and use that for all calculations.

 

[helpme74]

My normal bill is 70.00 a month . I got this bill and it was
140.00. I didn't change anything but the light.

 

[sly]

Again... what is your cost per kilowatt hour? It's on your bill.

 

[helpme74]

it doesn't say

 

[sly]

How many kilowatt hours did you use this month and how much is your bill without tax?

 

[helpme74]

1607 kilowatt $132.48 with out tax

 

[sly]

Your lights consume 492 watts. If you leave them on 12 hours per day then that's 5.9 kilowatt hours per day. In a 30 day month that's 177 kilowatt hours per month. Your power is costing you .082 per kilowatt hour.
Your tank is costing about $14.60 per month for the lights alone.
My power bill went up a lot this month also. Air conditioning is expensive.

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by Sly
Your lights consume 492 watts. If you leave them on 12 hours per day then that's 5.9 kilowatt hours per day. In a 30 day month that's 177 kilowatt hours per month. Your power is costing you .082 per kilowatt hour.
Your tank is costing about $14.60 per month for the lights alone.
My power bill went up a lot this month also. Air conditioning is expensive.
Yeah I was gonna say... given where you live, I'd say your air conditioning is suspect #1.

 

[helpme74]

I run my ac all the time even with the ac on for the last 4 months my apartment bill was only about 75.00 a month

 

[helpme74]

Thanks for all your help

 

[sly]

Yes but was your compressor running? Just because the air is on doesn't mean that you are actually cooling your house down. As it heats up outside your compressor will have to run more and more to keep the house at the same temperature. Trust me... your air conditioner may not be the entire cause of your high bill but you are definitely using more of it now than you were back in April.

 

[helpme74]

I think my coil is clogged because my air flow is low. Because I stuck a window unit in and it lowered the temperature more then my central unit when it’s on.

 

[scsinet]

That's entirely possible. Clogged coils have a very serious impact on your air conditioner's performance. You can try to clean them yourself by using a garden hose, but since you live in an apartment, it's probably not possible.
I'd call your landlord and ask him to have the unit inspected. If he won't do it, then the best course of action may be to just pay to have an inspection done yourself and turn the results over to him if they are bad, and demand that it be fixed, along with reimbursing you for the inspection.
You've got it good nonetheless. My electric bill was $400 a month last summer. I replaced my central system last fall with a high-efficiency system so it should help, but it's still $180 a month for me, even in the winter.