Meter
Monitor
Protection against
Find out where your energy
harmful surges.
dollars go.
Aiken Electric Cooperative, Inc.
You can save money
by understanding how
you use electricity
Where Do My Energy Dollars Go?
The energy experts at Aiken Electric Cooperative
offer this brochure to help you use electricity more
efficiently. One way to become a more efficient
consumer is to learn to read your meter. Another
is to learn how to calculate the cost of operating
your household appliances. We work to use
innovative technologies to provide reliable
electricity at the lowest possible cost.And when it
comes to conserving energy – knowledge is power!
How To Read A Meter
Electricity usage is measured in kilowatt-hours.
To find out how many kilowatt-hours you’ve used
in a given time period, you should regularly check
your electric meter. Your electric meter is digital
and easy to read.
Take a few minutes each day to record the
reading from your electric meter on the meter
monitor chart. Start at the first of the month and try
to read your meter around the same time
each day.
By subtracting the previous day’s reading from
the current day’s reading, you will know how many
kilowatt-hours you’ve used in the past 24 hours. For
example:
–
46,397 TODAYʼS READING
46,347 YESTERDAYʼS READING
50 KILOWATT-HOURS USED
By recording a
reading daily, you can
determine
which days you used
the most electricity.
Use the meter
monitor chart on
the next page to
calculate your
weekly and
monthly totals.
When records show that large amounts of
electricity have been used, look at your family’s
activities during those periods. Did you have
guests? Did the weather change? Then, you can
adjust your activities to use energy more wisely.
Knowing What It Costs To Operate
Appliances Can Help You Save Money
Price is not the only thing to consider when
purchasing appliances. Knowing how much it
costs to run them can save you money. Included
here is a convenient chart that provides estimates
of average monthly costs. Actual costs may vary
greatly depending on the size of your family and
your lifestyle. Remember, the cost of operating
an appliance depends on the unit’s wattage,
the length of time it is operated and the cost of
electricity per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
Meter Monitor Chart
Daily
Reading
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Weekly Total
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Weekly Total
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Weekly Total
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Weekly Total
29
30
31
Extra Days Total
MONTHLY TOTAL
Monthly Total KWH Usage
_______________________
KWH
Used Daily
Record of Daily Activities that
Affect Your Energy Use
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
X
X
Average Cost Per KWH
_________________________
=
=
Estimated Bill
____________________________
Chart
Your
Energy
Consumption
APPLIANCE
1/4” DRILL
A/C CENTRAL 3 TON: 10 SEER
A/C CENTRAL 3 TON: 14 SEER
A/C WINDOW 12,000 BTU 9 EER
BLENDER
BREAD MAKER (1 LOAF)
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS
CIRCULAR SAW
CLOCK
CLOTHES DRYER (4 LOADS/WK)
COFFEE MAKER
CURLING IRON
DEEP FAT FRYER
DEHUMIDIFIER
DISPOSER (GARBAGE)
DISHWASHER (NOT INCL.HOT WATER)
EDGER
ELECTRIC BLANKET
ELECTRIC FIREPLACE
This chart
estimates average
wattage and cost
of operation for
large and small
household
appliances.
FOOTNOTES TO CHART:
• Chart calculations were
compiled by South Carolina
electric cooperative Energy
Experts.
• Calculations are based on a
regional average electricity
cost of 9 cents per kWh and
are estimated totals only. Use
can vary, based on lifestyle,
family size, house size,
amount of windows and doors,
as well as other factors.
• Wattage varies according to
the appliance selected. When
buying appliances, look for
the Energy Star® label. For
thermostat-controlled
appliances, the percentage
of “on” time is factored into
the average monthly cost.
• The exact cost of heating
water is difficult to determine.
It is estimated that 1 kWh will
heat 5 gallons of water. The
average amounts of hot water
needed per household task
are listed below.
Activity
Tub bath
Shower
Baby bath
Meal preparation
Dishwashing, hand
Dishwashing,
automatic
Clothes washing,
automatic
Gallons
10-15
8-12
5
3
3
10-15
21
AVERAGE
WATTAGE
287
3,600
2,571
1,333
720
575
450
1,150
4
5,000
1,100
50
1,500
257
700
1,200
480
175
1,500
FANS
ATTIC VENT (SUMMER)
375
CEILING FAN ON ALL DAY
88
CEILING FAN 8 HOURS DAY
88
CENTRAL A/C 3-TON SET ON AUTO
500
TO SAVE ENERGY, DO NOT SET ON CONTINUOUS
WINDOW FAN 4 HRS/DAY
200
FISH POND PUMP 24HRS/DAY
300
FOOD PROCESSOR
370
FREEZER 18 CU FT FROST-FREE
400
HAIR DRYER 10 MIN/DAY
1,500
HAND MIXER
120
HEATING PAD
65
HEDGE TRIMMER
300
IRON 3 HR/WEEK
1,000
LAWN MOWER
1,200
LIGHTING
AVG. FAMILY OF 4 2000 WATTS
2,000
INCANDESCENT 100 WATT 4HR/DAY
100
FLUORESCENT 25 WATT 4 HR/DAY
25
LOW VOLTAGE 10 UNIT ALL NIGHT
200
YARD FLOOD 300 WATT ALL NIGHT
300
YARD HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM
75
PORCH LIGHT 1 HR/DAY
100
MICROWAVE OVEN 30 MIN/DAY
1,000
OUTDOOR GRILL
1,500
OVEN (SELF CLEANING) 4 HR/WEEK
3,200
COMPUTER/MONITOR/PRINTER 1 HR/DAY
720
POOL PUMP 1 HP 24 HR/DAY
1,100
POOL PUMP 1 HP 8 HR/DAY
1,100
RADIO 1 HR/DAY
75
RANGE COOK TOP LARGE UNIT 1 HR/DAY
3,200
RANGE COOK TOP SMALL UNIT 1 HR/DAY
1,300
REFRIGERATOR 20 CU FT FROST FREE
650
SHAVER (RECHARGEABLE)
40
SLOW COOKER (HIGH) 1 MEAL/WK
150
SLOW COOKER (LOW) 1 MEAL/WK
75
SPACE HEATER PER HOUR
1,500
STEREO/SOUND SYSTEM 3 HR/DAY
100
TELEVISION 6 HR/DAY
250
TOASTER 5 MIN PER DAY
1,100
VCR/DVD PLAYER OR GAME SYSTEM 1HR/DAY
25
VACUUM CLEANER 1 1/2 HR/WEEK
650
WASHING MACHINE (4 LOADS/WK)
500
WATER HEATER (TYPICAL FAMILY OF 4)
4,500
WATER WELL PUMP 1 HP
1,080
COST
PER HOUR
AVERAGE HOURS
PER MONTH
kWh
PER MONTH
COST
PER MONTH
$0.034
$0.008
$0.008
$0.045
360
730
240
350
135
64
21
175
$ 12.15
$ 5.78
$ 1.90
$ 15.75
$0.180
$0.009
$0.002
$0.018
$0.027
$0.007
$0.009
$0.090
$0.135
$0.288
$0.065
$0.099
$0.099
$0.007
$0.288
$0.117
$0.059
$0.004
$0.014
$0.007
$0.135
$0.009
$0.023
$0.099
$0.002
$0.059
$0.045
$0.405
$0.097
120
120
120
330
330
330
30
15
10
16
30
720
240
30
30
30
400
10
16
16
1
90
180
2.5
30
6
18
70
30
240
12
3.0
66
99
25
3.0
15
15
51
22
792
264
2.3
96
39
260
0.4
2.4
1.2
1.5
9
45
3
1
4
9
315
32
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$0.026
$0.324
$0.231
$0.120
$0.065
$0.052
$0.041
$0.104
$0.0004
$0.450
$0.099
$0.005
$0.135
$0.023
$0.063
$0.108
$0.043
$0.016
$0.135
$0.018
$0.027
$0.033
$0.036
$0.135
$0.011
$0.006
$0.027
$0.090
$0.108
0.5
350
350
250
2.5
4
100
1
730
18
13
4
3.5
240
1
20
1
120
30
120
730
2
400
5
4
30
1
12
4
0.1
1260
900
333
1.8
2.3
45
1.2
2.9
90
14
0.2
5
62
0.7
24
0.5
21
45
24
219
0.7
160
8
0.5
2.0
0.3
12
4.8
$ 0.01
$113.40
$ 81.00
$ 30.00
$ 0.16
$ 0.21
$ 4.05
$ 0.10
$ 0.26
$ 8.10
$ 1.29
$ 0.02
$ 0.47
$ 5.55
$ 0.06
$ 2.16
$ 0.04
$ 1.89
$ 4.05
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
2.16
19.71
0.07
14.40
0.68
0.04
0.18
0.03
1.08
0.43
21.60
1.08
0.27
5.94
8.91
2.23
0.27
1.35
1.35
4.61
1.94
71.28
23.76
0.20
8.64
3.51
23.40
0.04
0.22
0.11
0.14
0.81
4.05
0.25
0.07
0.35
0.81
28.35
2.92
Three Steps To Help You Save Money:
Step 1. Use an average cost per kilowatt-hour of 9 cents
in your calculations.
Step 2. To determine how many kWh are required to
operate an appliance:
kWh used =wattage* x hours used (or fraction of an hour)
÷ 1000 watts
Example:
1500 watts x 214 hours
1000 watts
= 321 kWh used
*Wattage should be printed on the serial plate of the appliance.
If it is not listed, multiply:
RUNNING LOAD AMPS (RLA) x VOLTS = WATTAGE
Step 3. To find the cost of operating the appliance:
Cost = kWh used x cost per kWh
Example: 321 kWh used x 9 cents per kWh = $28.89
How Do I Calculate Operating Costs For
Appliances With Thermostats?
Some appliances contain a thermostat that
turns the appliance on and off during use. If the
appliance has an indicator light, record the
intervals of time the light is on.
See Detailed Chart Inside.
Automated Meter Reading System
Aiken Electric Cooperative is pleased to
offer information on the following
programs and services:
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Bank Draft
Levelized billing
Pay By Net
Credit/Debit Card Draft
E-Billing/E-Checking
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
Green Power
GOFER™(Give Oil For Energy Recovery)
POWER for Wildlife
Project Habitat®
OTHER PROGRAMS
Operation Round Up ®
H2O Select®
Security Lighting
Touchstone Energy® and Trustee Scholarships
Washington Youth Tour
Aikenelectric.net
Capital Credits
For more information on these programs,
contact Aiken Electric Cooperative.
Aiken: 649-6245
•
New Ellenton: 652-2226
Edgefield: 637-3189 or 593-4457
•
North: 247-2121
Toll free: 1-800-922-1262
www.aikenco-op.org
aec@aikenco-op.org
Automated meter reading (AMR) allows remote
readings of any meter in Aiken Electric Cooperative’s
system. This allows better tracking, quicker power
restoration and improved service. With AMR, devices
inside a co-op substation communicate with the
meters and relay that information to headquarters.
The AMR meter has a display that you can easily read.
2790 Wagener Road
P.O. Box 417
Aiken, SC 29802
The Touchstone Energy® symbol is your assurance that we’re a
community-minded electric cooperative providing high standards of
service to customers large and small.
05-09-1M-1519
Printed on recycled paper