The number one complaint from students in math class is “when are we going to use this in the real world?” While it might be hard to believe, the math you learned in high school comes in handy quite often and can even save you money. All you need to do is whip out your calculator.
Estimating Your Bill
An online search will bring up many options for electric bill calculators, but you can even calculate it on your own. For each appliance in your house, you need to multiply the wattage by the hours used. This gives you the amount of energy your device uses per day which you will then multiply by the number of days in the month. To get an estimated cost, you multiply the monthly energy consumption by the cost provided by your power company. The final number after all your appliances are added up gives you a close estimate of your bill, not including any extra fees your energy provider may charge.
Cut Down on Waste
After you made your calculations, you might have noticed that some appliances you rarely use are costing you more than you are willing to pay for them. Simple actions like turning off a light switch when you leave a room or unplugging your phone charger when you are not using it can help cut down on costs. You can also switch over to more energy-efficient light bulbs if you are someone who likes all the lights on in the house. LED light bulbs also last longer than older models, meaning that you replace them less often.
Generating Your Own Power
As society shifts to relying more on appliances, high power bills seem unavoidable. However, by investing in green power, like solar panels, for your home you can start generating your own power and save money in the long term. Reducing power bills is one of the benefits of installing solar panels. If you want to get a feel for how much you’re saving, you’ll need to start crunching some numbers. You need to compare the cost of solar panel installation with your power bill costs per year. Generally, the cost won’t come back to you until after a few years, but once it does, you have a self-sustaining household.
By applying simple mathematic calculations, you can save money on your power bill this month and a couple of years down the road. Use these tips and soon you will wonder what you can do with all the money you are saving!
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