Meters aren't set back each month when the meter reader comes around. The difference in the readings from one month to the next shows how many kilowatt-hours have been used. If you know your electric rates, you can figure your bill by yourself. Your power supplier will furnish you with a rate schedule on request.
Figure 3. See if you can read the above correctly. The answers are shown in a box on the next page.
It will be interesting to you to find out how much it costs to operate the various electric appliances in your home. A sample rate schedule is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Sample rate schedule. Note that as the use of electricity increases, the average cost per kwh is reduced.
Estimating Operating Costs
To find the cost of operating any single appliance, three steps are necessary:
1. Learn the wattage of the appliance.
2. Estimate how many hours the appliance is used.