power costs ?

voyager

Hi, i am buying a treadmill soon and there will be 3 users of the machine, i am however concerned about the running (forgive the pun) costs of the machine, can anyone tell me roughly how much PER HOUR they are to run as i am the only one paying the electric bill, its not a major issue but i would like to be prepared in advance for any increase in my bill.
many thanks,

voyager

rubadub

Do you know the power rating (wattage) of the unit? 1000W or 1kW costs about 16cent per hour.

Saruman

Thats all? I thought it would cost more considering ESB bills.. so how many KW does the average house use every hour then?

voyager

Hi saruman, the unit has a 1.5 hp motor, is his info any good to you

voyager

rubadub

voyager wrote:

Hi saruman, the unit has a 1.5 hp motor, is his info any good to you

voyager

That is about 1100W, so about 17-18cent per hour. It may be a little more, I am not certain if it outputs 1.5HP or uses 1.5hp, 2 different things. A 800W microwave can use 1000W to generate 800W of microwave power.

Thats all? I thought it would cost more considering ESB bills.. so how many KW does the average house use every hour then?

It is measured by the kW hour, about 16cent for each. Not sure what the av house uses but it all adds up. Heating is the most expensive. The max your standard 13A socket can take is just under 3kW, a high power kettle might be this so would cost 16x3=48cent per hour to run, but it is usually on for a matter of minutes so less.

A 42" TV is about 250W, so about 4cent per hour to run. Dimplex heater are about 2kW, cookers can be 6kW. Heating is where most goes. Many dont have a clue, my mother is always turning off 10W energy saving bulbs, yet insists on filling a kettle to the brim when she only wants a single cup of tea, and then is convinced she is some sort of ecowarrior.

hunnymonster

according to google
[SIZE=+1]1 horsepower = 745.699872 watts[/SIZE]


1.5 H/hrP = 1.19 kWhr = approx 18 cent?

hunnymonster

doh, rubadub types faster than me :-)

rubadub

I have always wanted a generator, I have seen plans online to build them, and I think some places sell them. i.e. a exercise bike with a power outlet on it, plug in your TV and you have to keep pedalling to give you power, you slow down and you miss your program! good motivation and energy saving.

voyager

many thanks to everyone for your replies, i am thinking on these prices for an average use for three people using the unit say 2 hours a day in total it would add roughly €20/€24 on my 2 monthly bill.

voyager

hunnymonster

suddenly my gym membership seems like better value

ali.c

rubadub wrote:

That is about 1100W, so about 17-18cent per hour. It may be a little more, I am not certain if it outputs 1.5HP or uses 1.5hp, 2 different things. A 800W microwave can use 1000W to generate 800W of microwave power.

yeah if they are giving the motor rating in hp though it is most likely to be the power out of the motor rather than the input. The input Depends on the efficiency of the motor (i'd say 80-90%)

rubadub wrote:

It is measured by the kW hour, about 16cent for each. Not sure what the av house uses but it all adds up. Heating is the most expensive. The max your standard 13A socket can take is just under 3kW, a high power kettle might be this so would cost 16x3=48cent per hour to run, but it is usually on for a matter of minutes so less.

yup, if it needs a seperate circuit (like electric cookers and electric showers) then its likely to use a lot of electricity.

rubadub wrote:

Heating is where most goes. Many dont have a clue, my mother is always turning off 10W energy saving bulbs, yet insists on filling a kettle to the brim when she only wants a single cup of tea, and then is convinced she is some sort of ecowarrior.

True, but most people are likely to leave lights on for hours in contrast as you said the kettle is only on for a matter of minutes.

rubadub

ali.c wrote:

True, but most people are likely to leave lights on for hours in contrast as you said the kettle is only on for a matter of minutes.

True,

1kW will boil 10 litres in an hour, she usually boils an extra 1.5litres, so that is 0.15kWhr wasted. So boiling up 1.5L and not using it is the same as leaving the 10W CFL bulb on for 15hours, be she would go mental if it was on for 10mins!

ali.c

rubadub wrote:

True,

1kW will boil 10 litres in an hour, she usually boils an extra 1.5litres, so that is 0.15kWhr wasted. So boiling up 1.5L and not using it is the same as leaving the 10W CFL bulb on for 15hours, be she would go mental if it was on for 10mins!

That's mothers IMO, does she empty the kettle afterwards? (my bf does that bloody wrecks my head). On the otherside of things though its better to turn the lights of and over-fill the kettle than to do both. Though there are more efficient ways of reducing your carbon foot-print tbh. thepowerofone site is quite good for tips to reduce your electricity bill.

Okay enough OT from ali, i am unsuccessfully trying to write up an energy audit atm

justsomebloke

I think something like this may be more beneficial to you then a treadmill

rubadub

jsb wrote:

I think something like this may be more beneficial to you then a treadmill

Thats what I was talking about, albeit simplified. I did see a site where a guy made one, it was hooked up to a generator used in a car to recharge the battery, since you were charging a battery the batteries output was still the constant 12V (which could be stepped up to 230V).

I have also seen that you can get things to hook up to a games console and play games, i.e. the faster you go the faster the bike/car goes on screen. Could be a way to get kids (or overgrown kids) exercising

justsomebloke

rubadub wrote:

Thats what I was talking about, albeit simplified. I did see a site where a guy made one, it was hooked up to a generator used in a car to recharge the battery, since you were charging a battery the batteries output was still the constant 12V (which could be stepped up to 230V).

I have also seen that you can get things to hook up to a games console and play games, i.e. the faster you go the faster the bike/car goes on screen. Could be a way to get kids (or overgrown kids) exercising

man you really are taking the fun out of my joke:D