How to Calculate Your Ohio Electricity Usage

How Much Will Your Electricity Bills Cost You This Summer?

Have you just moved into a new place? With rates set to rise on June 1, you may be wondering, how much are my bills going to be? And how do you figure out what your average bills for the year will be? Don’t worry because you have several ways to figure this out. So, let’s walk through how to calculate your Ohio electricity usage.

Run The Numbers On Your Electricity

A real easy way to estimate your monthly bill is to read your meter yourself. Sure, if you just moved in that’s not going to tell you a whole lot, but just a few days can give you a rough amount to work with. Here’s how:

Each morning, go out to your electric meter and write down the usage number. It will look something like this:

The next morning, do the same thing. To get the previous day’s usage, subtract this morning’s number from yesterday’s reading. Do this for three to five days. To find the average, add these amounts together then divide by the number of days. That gives you your average usage in kilowatt hours; say 25 kWh.

Finally, multiply that usage amount by the days in your billing cycle. For example, 25 kWh x 30 days = 750 kWh/month. This will give you a very rough estimation of how much electricity you’ll use in a month. Then just multiply that number by the price of your electricity. That will give you the amount of your supply charge. Your local electric utility can tell you what the current distribution charge rate is.

Now, all this won’t be anywhere near perfect accuracy. But it gives you an idea to start with. Hot weather, heavy appliance use, and schedules can have an impact on the reading.

Narrow In On Your Ohio Electricity Usage

If you want to know more about your usage, electricity monitoring devices that can help. These let you plug in your appliance into the monitor and it shows how much energy it’s using. However, these monitors do come with a few restrictions. Many can only use standard 120 volt wall plugs. That makes them ineffective for checking larger home appliances like water heaters, large air conditioners, or clothes dryers. However, they can work fantastically on other large consumers like refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines. There are also specialty inline monitors that you can purchase. However, you will need an electrician to install them. These provide real-time feedback about specific circuits in your home. This way, you’ll get an even better understanding of where your electricity is going.

Know Your Big Consumers

If you’re not sure when you’ll be able to read your meter or install a monitor, don’t fret. There are ways you can estimate your electricity bill. The biggest power consumers are going to be large appliances like your water heater, or air conditioner. Unless you still have the yellow EnergyGuide label handy, it’s worth a shot to search on line for the usage specs of your air conditioner’s brand and model number. If not, try searching for other internet users talking about their electricity usage.

Don’t Let Your Ohio Electricity Usage Shock You

Adding up all these numbers should get you a rough estimate of what your electricity bill should look like. If you’re worried that amount is a little too high, consider ways to lower your electricity bills this summer. And if you’re hoping to avoid the oncoming PTC increases, be sure to shop the best cheap rates at www.ohenergyratings.com.