Question

Val's whole-house central air conditioner uses 2,500 watts when running. Val runs the AC 5 hours per summer day. Electricity costs (15 cents)/(1 kilowatt-hour). How much does Val's AC cost to run for a summer month of 30 days?

Answer 1

To determine the cost, we multiply the daily energy use (12.5 kWh per day) by the number of days in the month (30 days), and then by the per-kWh cost of electricity. Val's air conditioner costs $56.25 to run for a 30-day summer month.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the cost of running Val's air conditioner for a month, we need to consider the power usage, the time the air conditioner is run, and the cost of electricity. Val's air conditioner uses 2,500 watts (2.5 kilowatts) and it runs for 5 hours each day. The cost of electricity is $0.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

First, let's find the daily energy consumption in kWh:

• Energy (kWh) = Power (kW) × Time (h)
• Energy (kWh) = 2.5 kW × 5 h = 12.5 kWh/day

Next, multiply this by the number of days in the month to get the monthly energy consumption:

• Monthly energy (kWh) = 12.5 kWh/day × 30 days = 375 kWh/month

Finally, calculate the total cost of running the air conditioner for the month:

• Total cost ($) = Monthly energy (kWh) × Cost per kWh
• Total cost ($) = 375 kWh × $0.15/kWh = $56.25

Therefore, it costs Val $56.25 to run the air conditioner for a summer month of 30 days.