Electricity companies don’t just charge for turning on the light. They charge by the kilowatt-hour. It may sound technical, but the calculation is simple. If the device pulls 1,000 watts for one hour, that is 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh). Even if a 100-watt light bulb stays on for 10 hours, it consumes 1 kWh. Watt-hours are obtained by multiplying watts by time and dividing by 1000. This is the billing unit.
The price paid per kilowatt hour is not fixed everywhere. This varies by zip code. I’ve seen electricity cost about 8 cents per kilowatt hour in North Carolina. Other utilities offer “time of use” programs. Prices may be higher during peak times during the day and lower at night. Check your latest bill. Prices are listed somewhere.
Зміст
Calculate the actual costs
Let’s look at electric blankets. At high settings, it can produce 200 watts of power. Leave it on for 10 hours? That’s 2 kilowatt hours. At 8 cents per kilowatt hour, that’s about 16 cents. If the rates are high in your area, say 13 cents, the same blanket would cost 26 cents per night. Not bad. But it adds up if you use it every night.
The power of many devices is indicated on the label. A standard 100 watt light bulb is easy to monitor. Electric blankets are more difficult. The power varies according to the dial. You need a meter to find the exact draw.
Turn off all lights and appliances in the home. Go to the meter. The aluminum disk inside should be nearly still. Turn on the blanket. Watch the disk. It starts spinning. Calculate the time it takes for a full rotation. Most electric meters in the US use 100 rotations to register 1 kWh. If it takes 10 seconds to one full rotation, you can find the wattage. It’s old school. it works.
安全吗？
现代电热毯使用细碳线。 它们通常是安全的。 与旧型号相比，它们更加节能。 但安全性取决于条件。 如果它们已损坏，请勿使用。 松动的电线存在火灾危险。 挤压或扭转毯子可能会破坏内部连接。 那很糟糕。
它们并不适合所有人。 切勿将电热毯放在双层床上。 水床是不行的。 您不能将其与其他易燃材料（例如额外的被子）叠放。 而且你不能像普通休闲毯一样清洗它。 里面的电线破坏了洗衣过程。 请将其远离小孩。 如果处理不当，加热元件可能会导致烧伤。
快速成本细分
如果您的毯子使用 100 瓦，并且您每天运行 10 小时，则您将使用 1 千瓦时。 按每千瓦时 13 美分计算，即每晚 13 美分。 在某些地区，可能是 15 到 30 美分。 差异来自您当地的费率。 检查你的账单。 了解你的数字。
人们使用这些毯子来削减取暖成本。 这很有效。 但火灾风险是主要缺点。 使用不当会导致烧伤或更严重的情况。 定期检查你的。 如果它看起来很破旧，请将其扔掉。 节省下来的钱不值得冒这个风险。
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