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What is the power consumption of my AC and how much electricity bill do I get for running my 1 Ton AC for 5 hours. If these question float in your head then you have come the right place. In this article we will see the power consumption of an air conditioner be it 1 Ton, 2 Ton, 3 Ton and also look at ways to reduce your AC power consumption and save some electricity bill.
Before we start with calculating power consumption of yourAC let’s have a quick look into various factors that increase the power consumedby an AC.
Table of Contents
Factors affecting ACpower consumption:
- No of people in the room: Human body emits lot of heat, a room with 20 people will need bigger size AC or multiple ACs to cool the air inside it, whereas the same room with 3 people in it will get the same cooling for a smaller size AC or a single AC. So more people means more power hence more electricity bill.
- Outside & inside temperature: It takes more power to cool a room when outside temperature is 40 degree Celsius than when it is 32 degree Celsius. Likewise it takes more power to cool at room to 18 degree than to cool it at 24 degree Celsius.
- Room size: Air conditioners remove the heat from the air inside your room. Therefore, larger the room, larger is the volume of air inside it and more is the electricity required to cool that air. Electricity consumed in removing heat from a 100 sqft room is less than removing heat from a 200 sqft room.
- Electrical appliances in your room: Every electrical appliance in your room generates heat which increases your room’s temperature and makes your AC do additional work for cooling the same volume of air, hence more power consumption.
- Volume of air to be cooled: Often times we keep our cupboard doors open which increases the volume of air to be cooled by your AC. Now your AC has to cool the hot air inside your cupboard too which is unnecessary and consumes extra power.
- Objects in your room: Every solid object in your room gets cold when kept in AC, this is another unnecessary cooling your AC has to do.
Calculate power consumption of an AC from it’s label:
The easiest way to calculate your AC power consumption is by using the energy saving label on your AC.
If you look into your AC energy saving label it has annualpower consumption for your AC.
Here I have pulled up energy saving label of a 1 Ton SplitAC from Blue Star.
You can clearly see on the label the annual power consumed by this 1 ton AC is 589.99 kWh. This value is calculated in test condition with annual operational hours being 1600.
Which translates to 4.5 hours of operation every day, 133.33 hours of operation every month, which I feel is average daily operation for most households.
The actual value will mostly be higher than this value because of the high outside temperature than testing conditions and our inefficient habits of using AC.
This is the most simplest and accurate method to find an AC with least power consumption.
If your AC is old and does not have energy savings label on it then you can use the below method to calculate the power consumption of your AC.
If you are shopping for a new AC visithttps://mannix.com.au/product-category/evaporative/to choose more varieties of AC.
Calculate power consumption of an AC manually:
To manually calculate your AC power consumption you willneed to know the following three things.
- The wattage of your AC – Watt is the unit of power. It means the rate at which electricity is consumed or produced by a device. For example a 50 watt electric fan consumes power at a rate of 50 watts per hour, it does not means that electric fan consumed 50 units of electricity, it means it will consume power at a rate of 50 watts every hour.
- Operational hours – Number of hours you are running your appliance, in this case air conditioner.
- Electricity tariff – Electricity tariff is the amount your electricity provider charges you for one unit (kWh) of electricity. I live in Mumbai, India here the electricity tariff is Rs 12/ kWh. Just put your areas electricity tariff in the calculator.
To understand the calculated result you should understandthe following term.
- Kilowatt hour – Kilowatt hour (kWh) a.k.a units is the energy consumption of a device. For example a 50 watt electric fan running for 50 hours will consume 50 watt x 50 hours = 2500 watt hours = 2.5 kilowatt hours of electricity = 2.5 units of electricity.
As a general rule of thumb, for AC power consumption calculation you should take,
- 1 ton of cooling = 1,000 watts
- 1.5 ton of cooling = 1,500 watts
- 2 ton of cooling = 2,00 watts
- 3 ton of cooling = 3000 watts and so on.
Now use the below calculator to calculate your AC powerconsumption.
How To Interpret Calculated Result:
Whatever value you get just multiply it by two because your AC compressor is turned ON for only 50 % of the time whether you AC is conventional one or inverter AC.
So if you got 4 kWh of electricity then actual power consumption will be half of that which is 2 kWh.
The calculated result is an average value and it will go up if the outside temperature is high (like 40 degree Celsius) and inside temperature is too low (like 18 degree Celsius) and it will come down if the outside temperature is low (like 32 degree Celsius) and inside temperature is 22-24 degrees.
You will get a value which is only 5% inaccurate, but if you want to know your AC’s exact power consumption then there is a way for that too.
Calculate power consumption of an AC using Kill A Watt meter:
If you want to know exact power consumption of your AC then the most accurate way is to use a Kill A Watt meter.
Kill A Watt meter is a simple device which can be used to get accurate results on the power consumption of any device.
You can buy it from amazon using this link. Best Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
To calculate AC power consumption first connect your AC plug into the kill a watt meter and then plug the kill a watt meter in your wall socket and turn on your AC.
Then start using the AC and you can see in real time how many kWh (units) of electricity your air conditioner is using.
For appliances which have compressor like AC, refrigerator it is advisable to take the reading for 3-7 days to get exact power consumption.
So keep the AC plugged to the Kill A Watt meter for the whole week and note the final value at the end of the week this way you will get the most accurate value of your AC power consumption.
Check out this amazingly useful video from Tech Guy Charlie where he calculates power consumption of a 1.5 Ton inverter AC using Kill A Watt Meter.
Tips to reduce power consumption of AC:
- Set AC at 24 degree Celsius: Many a times we cool our room way below what is needed. Always remember idea of air conditioning is to cool your room to a comfortable temperature (22 – 26 degree Celsius) not freeze to death.
- Turn off appliances when not in use: Usually there are 5-10 appliances running in a room when the AC is running. Even the smallest of appliance dissipate heat which can heat up the cooled air quickly, so make sure you completely turn off the appliances which you don’t need and at best remove them from the room.
- Close doors & windows: AC removes heat from the air and cools it, if you open your rooms door again and again fresh stream of hot air will enter the room which needs to be cooled. Also if there are any cabinets in your room then please keep it closed otherwise the air inside the cabinet will also be cooled which is absolutely unnecessary use of electricity.
- Keep compressor & AC unit in shade: Make sure your AC does not receive direct sunlight, if it gets direct sunlight then try to avoid using that area or somehow try to avoid sunlight. Also keep the compressor unit in shade.
- Annual maintenance of air conditioner: Get your air conditioner checked every year by a professional.Refrigerant leakage, faulty compressor, low level of refrigerant can spike up the power consumption of your ac and degrade the cooling capacity. Hence you should get your AC checked at least once a year,this will surely give your AC longer life and maximum efficiency.
- Clean your AC filters: A filter full of dust acts as a barrier in the flow of air, which results in low air flow rate and makes the compressor work harder to pump fresh cool air which increases your ac electricity consumption, so keep the air filter clean.
You can read this detailed article on How to save electricity bill because of AC.
Planning to buy a new AC, check out the following list of most energy efficient AC available in 2020.
Top 5 most energy efficient AC to buy in 2020:
- Voltas 1 Ton 5 Star Inverter Split AC – Annual power consumption 617 units in a year for 1600 hours of operation. [Amazon Link]
- Blue Star 1 Ton 5 Star Inverter Split AC – Annual power consumption 599 units in a year for 1600 hours of operation. [Amazon Link]
- LG 1.5 Ton 5 Star Dual Inverter Split AC – Annual power consumption 835 units in a year for 1600 hours of operation. [Amazon Link]
- Voltas 1.5 Ton 5 Star Inverter Split AC – Annual power consumption 892 units in a year for 1600 hours of operation. [Amazon Link]
- Daikin 1.8 Ton 5 Star Wi-Fi Inverter Split AC – Annual power consumption 989 units in a year for 1600 hours of operation. [Amazon Link]
Conclusion on AC power consumption:
Most air conditioners in today’s time with energy savings stars and inverter technology compressor don’t consume much power.
1 ton air conditioner be it inverter or non-inverter consumes about 0.5 – 1 unit of electricity every hour depending on the operating conditions, which isn’t much keeping in mind the comfortable cooling experience AC’s give us especially during hot summer.
References for AC power consumption:
- https://www.samsung.com/
- https://www.lg.com/
- https://beeindia.gov.in/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Energy_Efficiency
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FAQs
What is the power consumption of an AC? ›
An air conditioner's electricity consumption depends on its EER rating. The 5-star ACs are more energy-efficient than a 3-star AC unit. The electricity consumption of a 5-star AC (1.5 tons) is approximately 1.5 units per hour, whereas a 3-star AC (1.5 tons) consumes 1.6 units every hour.
How do I calculate my AC power consumption? ›To get the energy consumption (kWh), simply multiply the appliance wattage (kW or W) by the number of hours you use. For example, if you are using a 300W air conditioner for 4 hours per day, then you are consuming about 1200Wh or 1.2kWh per day.
How much power does a 12000 BTU AC use per hour? ›Power Consumption Of 12,000 BTU Air Conditioners (1 Ton/3.5 kW) 12,000 BTU air conditioner units consume 991 (EER: 12.1) to 1,333 watts (EER: 9, which is a bit low for these units, by today's standards). An EER of 11.3 is average for new 12,000 BTU window units, translating to a wattage of 1,061 Watts.
How much electricity does a 5000 BTU AC use? ›For a small bedroom, a 5,000 BTU window unit should only use 450 watts. A mid-size 8,000 BTU AC should use fewer than 715 watts. A big 14,000 BTU air conditioner should only use 1,250 watts.
How do you calculate power consumption? ›To calculate consumption, you multiply the power in kW by the hours you use the devices per day, per week or per month. For example, let's examine the consumption at the home of Agnes and Roman: The TV has a power of 200 W, that is, 0.2 kW. They have it on for 2 hours a day, so their daily consumption is 0.4kWh.
How do you calculate power consumption per hour? ›For this conversion, multiply the energy used in kWh by 1,000 to find the energy consumption in watt-hours. Then, you must divide that number by the number of hours you used it. Here's the Formula for Calculating Kilowatt-Hours Into Watts: watts = (kWh × 1,000) ÷ hrs.
How much does it cost to run AC for one hour? ›On average, running an air conditioner costs between $0.06 and $0.88 per hour. Let's calculate how much does air conditioning cost per month (running 8h per day): Low end: $14.40/month. High end: $211.20/month.
How much does it cost to run an 8000 BTU air conditioner for 24 hours? ›| Energy Usage | Average Cost per Hour |
|---|---|
| 8,000 BTU | $0.08 |
| 10,000 BTU | $0.11 |
| 12,000 BTU | $0.14 |
| 15,000 BTU | $0.19 |
| Size | BTUs | Cost Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 10,000 BTU | $0.39/hr |
| Medium | 14,000 BTU | $0.52/hr |
| Large | 18,000 BTU | $0.65/hr |
The 12,000 BTU window air conditioner has a running wattage of 1700 watts and a starting wattage of 5,100. To work effectively, you will need a generator with an average of 6,800 watts. The generator's wattage should be equal to or greater than the wattage of the appliances you wish to operate.
How much does it cost to run a 5000 BTU AC for 24 hours? ›
The cost to run a 5-amp, 5,000-Btu air conditioner over a 24-hour period is about $1.60.
How much power does a fridge use? ›Most typical fridges use between 100-400 watts. To find your fridge's wattage, just: Multiply the number of amps listed on the fridge's nameplate by the voltage (usually around 120). Then, because the compressor only runs about 30% of the time, divide the total wattage by 3.
How much does it cost to run a 6000 BTU air conditioner for 24 hours? ›| AC Capacity (BTU) | Running Cost (Per Hour) | Running Cost (Per Day) |
|---|---|---|
| 6,000 BTU | $0.08 | $1.92 |
| 8,000 BTU | $0.11 | $2.62 |
| 10,000 BTU | $0.14 | $3.36 |
| 12,000 BTU | $0.17 | $4.08 |
To calculate exactly how much a halogen heater will cost you per hour: For example, a 400W halogen heater will cost 14p to run each hour under current 34p per kWh rates (400/1000 = 0.4, then 0.4 x 0.34 = 0.136).
How much does 500 watts cost per hour? ›For example, a 500W fan heater will cost 17p to run each hour under current 34p per kWh rates (500/1000 = 0.5, then 0.5 x 0.34 = 0.17). In terms of how much it would cost your fan heater to heat a room, this would depend on a variety of factors.
How many kWh per day is normal? ›According to the United States Energy Information Administration, the average American household consumed 10,632-kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity last year. The average kWh per month was 886, while the average kWh per day was 29.
How many kWh do I use per hour? ›To get the number of kWh, you just multiply the number of kW by the number of hours the appliance is used for. For example, a device rated at 1500 W that's on for 2.5 hours: 1500 ÷ 1000 = 1.5.
What is the total consumption if you use 200 watt of power for 8 hours? ›Detailed Solution. The correct answer is 1600 watts hour.
Is it cheaper to run the AC all day? ›The short answer is yes, it is cheaper to leave your air conditioner on all day. But this does not mean that you should leave it on full blast, keeping your home so cold that you need a sweater or jacket to be comfortable.
How much does it cost to leave the AC on for a day? ›If you run your AC for 8 hours per day, that adds up to an average cost of $2.51 to $4.18 each day. These averages give you a good idea of how much it costs to run an air conditioner. But it's important to know that these are just averages.
Is it cheaper to run a window air conditioner or 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.
What is the most expensive time to run air conditioner? ›Electricity is more expensive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., especially in the summertime. That's because there's a greater demand for power. During this time, more people are in their homes, running the air conditioner or using appliances and electronic devices.
Can I run my AC 24 hours a day? ›Modern air conditioning units are designed to run 24 hours a day. There is no harm in having it run to keep your home cool all day long. If you wanted to, you could have your AC unit running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If your thermostat is set on “auto”, your AC compressor does not run 24 hours a day.
Is it cheaper to run a 110 or 220 air conditioner? ›A 220-volt supply can transmit the power more cheaply because a smaller current is needed, and so you can use thinner cables and/or lose less energy through heat generated in the cables.
Is it cheaper to run window AC all the time? ›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.
What uses the most electricity in a home? ›- Wet appliances. Washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers account for 14% of a typical energy bill, taking the top spot in our list. ...
- Cold appliances. ...
- Consumer electronics. ...
- Lighting. ...
- Cooking.
According to EcoCostSavings.com, a box fan averages 73 watts at full speed. So if a kilowatt costs 10.42 cents per hour, the fan would cost $0.007 per hour (a little less than one cent). Extend that out to a month, and it works out to $5.50 per month if it runs round the clock.
Can I run my whole house on a 12000 watt generator? ›Whole House: Starting at about 12,000 watts, these generators can generally keep a home running without missing a beat. You'll be able to run lights, fans, TVs, refrigerators, computers, space heaters and pretty much anything else you plug into an outlet.
Will a 12000 watt generator run a 4-ton AC unit? ›The largest portable generator can only power 12,000 watts, which pushes the wattage limit on larger AC units (2.5 tons or more). If you have an AC that's 2 tons (7,000 watts) or fewer, you might be okay with a portable generator, as long as you don't use it to power any other appliances.
What size generator do I need to run AC? ›If you have a 3-ton (30-Amp, 36,000 BTUs) air conditioner, you need at least a 14 KW generator. If you have a 4-ton (40-Amp, 48,000 BTUs) air conditioner, you need at least a 17 KW generator. If you have a 5-ton (50-Amp, 60,000 BTUs) air conditioner, you need at least a 20 KW generator.
What is the average AC bill per month? ›
An average electricity bill of 1.5 Ton AC (Window / Split or Normal / Inverter AC) is Rs. 2,000 to 3,000 per month. That means if you have one 1.5 ton ac, 4 star rating inverter ac, then your monthly electricity bill be approx. 3500 to 5000 in summer season.
How much does 1 degree of AC cost? ›The cost of a thermostat adjustment of one degree is about three percent of your total energy bill. This means that for every degree you raise the thermostat, you can expect to see corresponding savings on your energy bill of about 3 percent.
Do window units use a lot of electricity? ›Inexpensive to Run
Especially compared to a central AC unit, window units don't use very much electricity. A window AC requires on average 500 to 1,440 watts to run, while a central unit uses upwards of 3,500 watts. If you only need to cool a small space, window ACs are much more cost effective than central AC units.
The average-sized microwave oven uses about 215 kWh of electricity per year. In terms of energy usage, the appliance's wattage ranges from 600 to 1,500 watts. However, because microwaves are only used for short periods of time, their overall yearly energy use is lower than what their pull would suggest.
How much power does a washing machine use? ›On average, a washing machine uses 400 to 1,400 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. Most washing machines use between 5 and 15 amps, and connect to a 120 volt outlet.
How much power does a freezer use? ›An ENERGY STAR certified chest freezer uses about 215 kWh of electricity and costs about $30 per year to run, while an ENERGY STAR certified upright freezer uses about 395 kWh of electricity and costs about $50 per year to run.
Does higher BTU mean more electricity? ›One BTU is the amount of energy it takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. The higher the BTUs, the more power the system has.
How large of a room will a 5000 BTU AC cool? ›Budget air conditioners range from 5,000 BTU, which can handle about 150 square feet, to 12,000 BTU, enough to cover about 550 square feet.
Can you run a window unit all day? ›A window AC or portable air conditioner can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without shortening its average lifespan. Running continuously will not cause overheating, excessive wear and tear to the unit, or any other damage that will shorten its life.
How many kWh does an AC use per day? ›The standard kWh per day for a one-ton AC unit ranges from 11.5 to 20.6 kWh, depending on its seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER).
Can I run AC on solar panel? ›
Yes, you can run an air conditioner with solar power.
It is conceivable because of powerful solar panels and a converter system. Be that as it may, you may be connected to the grid or be completely off-grid. Both of the systems will allow you to power an AC with solar energy. It will reduce electricity costs rapidly.
A 1 kW solar system generates 4 - 5 units a day from morning 9 am to 5 pm which is sufficient to run 1 Inverter AC up to 1.5 ton along with Refrigerator, Television, Fans and lights during the day from small 2-3 bhk home.
How much electricity does an AC use in 8 hours? ›The energy use of a central air conditioner highly depends on the climate of the region, a central air conditioner will run 3 to 7 months of the year depending on the outside temperature. An average central ac will use 3000 to 5000 watts of power for around 9 hours a day during the hotter months.
How much electricity does a AC use overnight? ›Also, look for an AC with a built-in inverter. Though more expensive, it consumes much less power.” An old 1.5 tonne AC uses around 1.5 units per hour, while an inverter AC uses only 0.91 units per hour. A refrigerator accounts for 15% of a household's total power consumption.
How many solar panels do I need for 1 ton AC? ›Per 1 ton of AC
Typically, a ton of AC uses 1200 to 1500 watts of power, so you need 6 solar panels of 250 watts to generate that much electricity.
If you have four peak sun hours a day, you'll need 1200 watts of solar panels for each ton of cooling capacity your AC has. Most modern air conditioning units have between two and five tons of cooling power.
How many solar panels do you need to power a house? ›An average home needs between 17 and 21 solar panels to fully offset utility bills with solar. The number of solar panels you need depends on a few key factors, including your geographic location and individual panel specifications.
Can solar panels power a stove? ›Electric ovens and stovetops, just like water and room heaters, use far too much power to be viable on solar. The average oven runs at 3000W, and hobs run between 1500-3000W. Both tend to run for more than just a few minutes, especially at night and during winter when there's less power to go around.
What can a 1000w solar panel run? ›- 2Nos. of 60 watt ceiling Fan.
- 5 Nos. of 20 watt CFL lamp.
- One Laptop.
- Mobile charger.
- One TV.
- One Cooler.