Hot plates are a common appliance in many households and are used for various purposes, such as cooking, warming food, and brewing coffee. However, many people are not aware of the amount of energy it consumes and its impact on the environment. Therefore, it is essential to understand the energy consumption of a hot plate and how it affects our daily lives.
How To Use This Calculator
Using this energy calculator is a simple and will help you determine the costs of running your appliance. Click on ‘Calculate’ to use the predefined values, or enter your daily usage in hours, appliance watts, and your current energy costs in dollars. The calculator will provide you with the daily, monthly, and yearly results. It’s important to ensure the accuracy of the information entered to get the most accurate results.
Hours Used Per Day
Enter the number of hours you estimate the appliance will be on throughout the day. To use fractions of an hour please use a decimal point in the form.
For example: 1 hour and 30 mintes would be 1.5, and 3 hours and 15 minutes would be 3.25
Power Used in Watts
The calculator already includes a default average wattage. If your appliance uses a different wattage then enter it in the calculator.
Your Energy Rate in kWh
The calculator includes an average energy rate (price in $/kWh) to use for the calculation. This may not be the exact price that you’re currently paying for electricity. If you know your energy rate please enter your price per kilowatt-hour.
Energy Consumption
Hot plates typically use 1200 watts of power. To put that into perspective, a typical light bulb uses around 60 watts. This means that a hot plate uses around 20 times more energy than a light bulb. Additionally, the longer it is used, the more energy it consumes. Therefore, it is important to use it only when necessary and turn it off when not in use to save energy.
Importance and Relevance
The energy consumption of a hot plate is relevant not only to the environment but also to our daily lives. By using more energy, we contribute to the depletion of natural resources and increase the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change. Moreover, using more energy also means higher electricity bills.
Cost in Dollars of Energy Usage
To calculate the cost of using a hot plate, we need to know the current energy price, which is $0.12/kWh, as stated in the defaults. Using this price, we can calculate the cost of using a hot plate for 1 hour each day. for different periods:
- Daily cost: 1.2 kWh x $0.12/kWh = $0.14/day
- Monthly cost: 1.2 kWh x 30 days x $0.12/kWh = $4.32/month
- Yearly cost: 1.2 kWh x 365 days x $0.12/kWh = $52.56/year
As we can see, using a hot plate regularly can contribute significantly to our electricity bills, and it is essential to be mindful of its usage.
Money Saving Tips
Here are some tips on how to save money when using a hot plate:
- Use a pot with a lid to cook food. This helps to retain heat and cook food faster, reducing the amount of energy used.
- Use the right size pot for your hot plate. A small pot on a large hot plate will waste energy, as the heat escapes around the edges.
- Only use the hot plate when necessary. For example, use a microwave or toaster oven instead of the hot plate for small tasks.
- Clean the hot plate regularly. Dirt and grease can cause the hot plate to work harder, using more energy.
By implementing these tips, you can reduce the amount of energy used by your hot plate and save some money in the process. It is essential to be mindful of our energy consumption and take steps to reduce it for a sustainable future.
