ComEd: 'Tis the Season for Holiday Tips - Part 2

As I promised last week in my post about ComEd holiday tips, I wanted to share their formula for calculating additional costs associated with decorating with electric lights:

1. Determine how many bulbs are on your strands of decorative indoor and outdoor lights.  For example:  1,000 total bulbs
2. Check the wattage per bulb - one watt per bulb is common.  For example:  1 watt
3. Multiply watts per bulb by number of bulbs.  For example: 1 x 1,000 =  1,000
4. Convert to kilowatts (kW) - 1,000 watts equals 1 kilowatt.  For example: 1 kW
5. Estimate the number of hours in a month the lights are on.  For example: 5 hours per day x 30 days = 150 hours
6. Multiply the total kilowatts by the total number of hours the lights will be on to get the total kilowatt-hours (kWh).  For example: 1 kW x 150 hours = 150 kWh
7. Multiply the total kilowatt-hours by the total cost of electricity.  ComEd says that for their typical customers, the total cost of energy supply,  transmission and distribution of their electricity will be 8.6 cents  per kilowatt-hour through the end of the year.  For example, 150 kWh x .86 = $12.90

Use this handy formula to help you decide how much of your holiday budget you want to put toward decorating this season.

Next up in money-saving electricity tips: Jackson Hewitt?? says you can improve your 2006 individual income tax return with a little work around the house.