By plugging some basic info about your AC unit and usage into a few simple formulas, you can calculate the cost of running AC.
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An AC unit&#;s Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is a measure of how efficiently it uses electricity to cool a home at any given moment. You can calculate the EER of your unit by dividing its cooling output in British Thermal Units (BTUs) by the power it&#;s using in watts. You&#;ll find these numbers in the unit&#;s manual or printed directly on the unit. Here&#;s the formula:
EER = unit BTUs / Watts consumed
Like EER, an AC unit&#;s Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) rating is another measure of its efficiency. However, you&#;ll see SEER ratings are more common than EER and are often advertised by the manufacturers of AC units. This is because SEER ratings provide a broader picture of a unit&#;s efficiency, taking into account its performance over the entire cooling season.
Calculate your unit&#;s SEER rating by dividing its total cooling output in BTUs over a season by its total energy consumption in watt hours (Wh) over the same period. Here&#;s the formula:
SEER = unit BTUs / Wh consumed
To calculate the cost to run an air conditioner for one hour, consider the unit&#;s wattage, the average cost of electricity in your state and the number of hours your unit runs daily. Here&#;s the formula:
Cost per hour = (unit wattage x average cost per kWh) / 1,000
Note: These formulas provide estimates and may not reflect the exact cost of running your air conditioning unit. Actual prices can vary depending on various factors, including the size of your home, the temperature outside and your usage habits.
Using the formula above, you can calculate the cost of running your air conditioner per hour with data from your energy bill.
For example, the average price of electricity in the U.S. was about $0.15 per kWh as of August according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Assuming a typical AC unit with a wattage of 1,500, the calculation would be (1,500W x $0.15) / 1,000 = $0.23 per hour. The cost to run the same AC unit may vary depending on energy prices where you live.
You can use a similar formula to estimate the monthly cost to run your AC:
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Cost per month = (unit wattage x hours of use per day x days of use per month x cost per kWh) / 1,000
Using the same figures from the example above, the calculation would be (1,500W x 8 hours x 30 days x $0.15) / 1,000 = $54 per month.
To estimate how much it costs per year for you to run your AC, use this formula:
Cost per year = (unit wattage x hours of use per day x days of use per year x cost per kWh) / 1,000
Using the same figures again, the calculation would be (1,500W x 8 hours x 180 days x $0.15) / 1,000 = $324 per year. This calculation accounts for six months of use each year, but households in some areas may use their ACs more or less often.
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Find an Air Conditioner InstallerI'd been pondering this myself, however it's important to remember that just because there's AC to DC conversion happening, it doesn't mean that low voltage DC is the result.
For example, the Panasonic inverter air conditioner I have (which is a 240v AC model) references voltages all the way up to 280v and 340v DC for the fans and compressor in its service manual. So there's really no possibility to do any kind of direct supply of low voltage to run it.
Of course this makes sense, because air conditioners are very high current devices and would require very thick conductors if the fans and compressor were running at low voltage DC. There's just no reason for manufacturers to add this expense when they can save money on materials and produce more efficient designs with high voltage DC.
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