Do window AC units use a lot of electricity Reddit

I'm familiar with electricity costs around the nation. I'll guess your electricity costs 10 cents per Kilowatt, and that your A/C uses 1700 Watts.

Therefore your A/C costs 17¢ per hour.

Not much, but like anything, it will start to add up if you let it run all day every day. Also, after you use a small amount of electricity, your electricity becomes more expensive, so if this appliance is responsible for crossing that barrier, you should calculate your energy use at the higher rate, perhaps 13¢ per Kwatt, or 22¢ per hour of A/C.

This really does need some more information to truthfully answer well, as there are a lot of variables. I have done a rough estimate at the bottom, but it's unlikely to be very accurate. I'll go over how to either do this yourself or give us the information necessary to do so here, but if you'd rather just go with the estimates you can skip to the bottom.

To calculate the cost you'll need this information:

  • Amperage: The AC unit is in your room but you can't gather any more information about it? For instance, surely the brand is printed on it somewhere, and the model # is likely on there as well. If you have that information, a google search can direct you to the company page where specifications are listed, most likely. If not, you can probably manage to download the user manual. Honestly, voltage and amperage is usually listed on all electronic devices. Try checking the back of the electrical cord, or where the cord connects to the unit, or the back of the unit itself. Lastly, you could update your post with a picture of the unit and I, or the the next guy, could find the info themselves most likely.

  • Voltage of the Outlet: If you are in the US and it is plugged into a typical outlet, the outlet is 110 volts. If you are outside of the US, it's probably 230 volts, but I'm not confident about that. Looking up this info should be trivial, but otherwise you can update your post with the info.

  • Price you pay your utility per kilowatt-hourThis will probably be the trickiest bit to find, if you want the exact amount. A recent energy bill will tell you, if you don't mind involving your parents. Otherwise, you might just look on the utility company's site and see if that info is provided, or you can look up average rates in your area.

Now, for the calculation. This part is rather simple. You take the amperage draw and multiply it by the voltage, and this gives you your wattage. To get kilowatts, you divide the wattage by 1,000. To get kilowatt-hours, you multiply the kilowatts the unit uses by the number of hours you will use the unit (in your case, 2 per day, or ~60 per month). So...

  • Amperage x Voltage = Watts

  • Watts / 1000 = Kilowatts

  • Kilowatts x hours used = kilowatt-hours

  • kilowatt-hours x price per kilowatt-hour = cost to run

I've done an estimation below, but I had to guess on all the numbers. I looked up average, or typical, values for each variable, but again, it's not likely to be accurate without knowing your specifics. The sources I used for the values are linked.

It seems like room-sized AC units in the US tend to draw between 5 and 10 amps, depending on the size. For this value, I chose 7.5, which is right in the middle.

For voltage, I chose the US value, 110 volts.

The average price per kilowatt hour in the US = $0.12 but this ranges greatly, from $0.08 in Idaho (lowest state average), to $0.18 in New York (2nd highest state average), to $0.33 in Hawaii (highest state average).I stuck with the average.

So...

  • 7.5 amps x 110 v = 825 watt = 0.825 kilowatts

  • 2 hours per day brings this to 1.650 kilowatt-hours per day

  • 1.65 kilowatt-hours/day x 30 days = 49.5 kilowatt-hours

  • 49.5 kilowatt-hours x $0.12/kw-hour = $5.94 per month

This is a pretty insignificant amount, so perhaps you can convince him. However, work out the specifics for your situation and do the math and show him. This will show that you truly care about the situation, enough to do your due diligence and educate yourself in the process. And be honest, don't exaggerate the numbers to make your case. Show him the sources for your calculations so that he can not cast doubt on the numbers themselves. Having relied on a window unit myself in the past, two hours per day doesn't seem like it would do much and you would likely use the unit more than that, and he likely realizes this. So, try showing the price per month of different usage amounts and asking if you two can agree on an acceptable amount. This may help him come to your side. After you have calculated the costs involved and the two of you have agreed on a usage amount, or are in the process, ask him if there is a way you may help to offset the cost. There are probably some chores you could help with, allowing him some free time of his own to offset the increasing cost of the utility bill. If you are of the age that you have a job of your own, maybe you could simply pay all or part of the increased cost yourself. If your dad accepts your argument but doesn't believe that it is even warm in your room at all, borrow a thermometer and hang it on your wall, noting the temperature at different times of the day/night. Take pictures to give integrity to your data, and show this data to him. Most importantly, negotiate. Relationships are built on compromise, so realize that you may not get all of what you want, but you may be able to land on a middle ground that you both can be happy with. Remember that your animosity is with the heat of your room and not your father.

Lastly, try to remember, your parents work hard at their jobs, and providing for children is a 2nd job that is both perpetual and significantly more difficult. Sometimes your problems will look trivial to them, overshadowed as they are by the issues they face themselves on a daily basis, but they love you and can perhaps be made to understand better if you both take the time. And if your dad doesn't relent, try to see his side of the argument. Ask him to explain why he still will not allow it. Perhaps if you calmly come to an understanding of his point of view, it might make him relent later on down the line.

I hope this helps.

EDIT: corrected 8.25 to .825, and edited the last paragragh to reflect the usage. Thats to Zerowantuthri for bringing it to my attention.

Does running a window air conditioner use a lot of electricity?

Operating the air conditioner in fan mode uses significantly less energy than other AC modes, including cooling, heating and dry mode. This is because it takes less power to run the fan than the compressor.

Is it cheaper to run a window unit all the time?

Conclusion. The answer to the question “is it cheaper to leave your air conditioner on all day?” is a resounding yes. You'll save money on your energy and repair bills, especially during the summer months.

How much is it to run a window AC?

How much does it cost to run a window air conditioner? It costs $0.06 to $0.36 per hour to run a window air conditioner, with the average being $0.13 and the most common hourly cost being $0.10. This assumes a price per kWh of $0.15 (the US average) and also assumes continuous maximum power draw.

Is a window unit more efficient than central air?

It depends. If you're looking to cool your entire house, having multiple window air conditioners will use more energy than a single properly-sized central air conditioner would. Conversely, if you need to cool a single room, a window air conditioner will, of course, be the more efficient option.