50% increase in electricity usage due to Humidifier?

[JEDI]

Last bill: 600 kiloWatt hours
This month's bill: 900 kWh

the only difference is a warm air humidifier i bought.
it uses 3.33 amps.

3.33A = 120 V = 400watts

300,000 watt hours/400 watts = 750hrs?!

actual reading (via wireless transmitter)

 

[Gothgar]

If the glove fits?

 

[Doppel]

Maybe your utility checks meter every two months and averages in the off month as some do. This could give a false massive spike.

 

[disappoint]

Is that bill for 1 month? Do you have the thing on 24/7? Cause 750hrs/30days=25 hours/day. The increase may not be due to this unit alone though, your other usage may have gone up a bit accounting for why its 25 and not 24 hours.

24 x 30 = 720, though Dec is 31 days so 31x24 = 744 hours in a month of 31 days.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

400W * 24 hours/day * 30 days/month * 1w/1000kW = 288 kWh/month

Seems about right.

 

[classy]

Bad humidfier maybe?

 

[Murloc]

a classmate received a nasty electricity bill even though he didn't use most appliances and he wasn't there for a month and found out it was the humidifier's fault (it was integrated in the wall).

Use it only when you need it.
I think it's useless. Never used one in my whole life and people have survived millenia without it. It doesn't even give a clear advantage, unlike AC which makes life pleasant.

I don't think the humidifier is bad, it's just that they consume a lot of electricity.

 

[bobdole369]

The math adds up. Also I take it you don't live in the great state of America's Wang, so you're likely to not be using the A/C like we are. A humidifier would add to the power used by the unit to clear it back out to make it bearable to exist.

So yea, nothing wrong. Shut the thing off when you're at work and sleeping.

I found a similar shock when I started turning off PC's that aren't servers and not in use 23 hours a day. A PC costs roughly $30/month to run.

 

[Doppel]

Well houses can get dry in the winter particularly in northern climate and it can be exacerbated by the manner in which you heat the house. I have not read up on them but presume that sending moist warm air within the house could increase condensation concerns (leading possibly to mold). No house is airtight; you're going to have warm inner air hitting colder somewhere and the more moist that warm air is the greater the chance of condensation.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Why not use an ultrasonic humidifier? Granted, it has its own set of problems but at least power usage is lower.