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Operating Cost a big component as compared to Buying Cost of appliances

By on August 17, 2018

Knowing what will happen in their lives in future is something that interests a lot of people. A lot of us are very excited to know about future and plan things accordingly. People feel satisfied if they have taken sufficient care of whatever will happen in future. What if you know about the approximate cost you will spend on electricity before buying any appliance? Will that change the buying decision? We are sure it will. How will that get impacted if we tell you that the operating cost (or cost of electricity used) of any electrical appliance is mostly more than the cost of buying any appliance, will that make you feel that you should buy an efficient appliance? If yes then do continue reading.

Sample operating costs of appliances

To prepare this article we did a small research on prices of various kinds of appliances and combined them with the knowledge that we have gained about electricity consumption of various appliances through sample home audits. And below are some results of the same:

Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
AC 1 ton 28000 8 4 768 10 46080 1.65
AC 1.5 ton 37000 8 4 1056 10 63360 1.71
AC 2 ton 45000 8 4 1344 10 80640 1.79
In Case the ACs are used more
Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
AC 1 ton 28000 8 8 1536 10 92160 3.29
AC 1.5 ton 37000 8 8 2112 10 126720 3.42
AC 2 ton 45000 8 8 2688 10 161280 3.58
 
Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
Fridge 200 lts 14000 24 12 630.72 10 37843.2 2.70
Fridge 400 lts 35000 24 12 984.96 10 59097.6 1.69
Fridge 600 lts 60000 24 12 1468.8 10 88128 1.47
 
Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
Washing Machine 7Kgs 25000 1 12 360 10 21600 0.864
 
Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
Ceiling Fan Unstarred 1400 14 12 378 10 22680 16.20
Ceiling Fan BEE 5 Star 1800 14 12 226.8 10 13608 7.56
 
Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
Tubelight T12 40 6 12 118.8 3 2138.4 53.46
Tubelight T8 50 6 12 97.2 3 1749.6 34.99
Tubelight T5 110 6 12 60.48 3 1088.64 9.90
 
Appliance Type Buying Cost Daily Use in Hrs Months Used Yearly Units Years Used Lifetime OC @Rs 6/unit Ratio of OC and BC
Bulb 100W 20 6 12 216 1 1296 64.80
Bulb 23W CFL 150 6 12 49.68 1 298.08 1.99

Lifetime operating cost calculated above is derived using average unit cost of electricity across the country, which is Rs 6 per unit. Also the cost of appliance taken above is average cost of the appliance available in the market. Please note that the cost varies with time and it mostly increases. So the ratio will mostly be more than what is calculated above. Also you can check your own cost of electricity per unit using our calculator: Online Electricity Bill Calculator – For all states in India.

Usage is important factor to calculate Operating Cost

The values calculated above are based on standard usage values. If your usage is higher than that, then the operating cost will be more, if it is less, then it will be less. Higher the value of Operating Cost, more important it is to go for an efficient appliance so that the operating costs are less. So if you use an appliance more, it makes much more sense to buy an energy efficient version of the same.

Efficient appliances have lower operating costs

The values above are representative numbers and actual value of any appliance will depend on its efficiency and efficient use. Efficient versions of the appliances will always have lower operating costs as represented in case of tubelights and bulbs in the above table.

The point that we are trying to drive home with this article is that the operating costs of most appliances is more than the cost of buying, thus it is very important to keep that in mind while buying any appliance.

About the Author:
Abhishek Jain is an Alumnus of IIT Bombay with almost 10 years of experience in corporate before starting Bijli Bachao in 2012. His passion for solving problems moved him towards Energy Sector and he is keen to learn about customer behavior towards Energy and find ways to influence the same towards Sustainability. .

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