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Electricity usage of a Central Air Conditioner

A central air conditioner is used in a home to provide cooling by circulating cool air through ducts from an air conditioner unit typically situated outside the house. 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.

Click calculate to find the energy consumption of a central air conditioner using 3500 Watts for 3 hours a day @ $0.10 per kWh. Running 3 hours a day is the same as running 9 hours a day for 4 of the warmer months.

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Hours Used Per Day: Enter how many hours the device is being used on average per day, if the power consumption is lower than 1 hour per day enter as a decimal. (For example: 30 minutes per day is 0.5)

Power Use (Watts): Enter the average power consumption of the device in watts.

Price (kWh): Enter the cost you are paying on average per kilowatt hour, our caculators use the default value of 0.10 or 10 cents. To find an exact price check your electricity bill or take a look at Global Electricity Prices.

To save energy with air conditioning the only real method is to increase temperature of your home, in hotter climates this may not be ideal. Staying cool by taking cold showers or using small portable fans can help. If you live in a hot climate your cooling costs can be significant, around 70% of your electricity bill. Investing in an energy efficient central conditioner unit fit precisely for the size of your home would be ideal. To improve performance of your ac make sure to clear any debris, leaves or obstructions around your ac unit, so that you get better and more efficient air flow.