Electricity: Calculate Running Cost Of An Inflatable

How Much Does It Cost To Operate a Giant Inflatable?

Wondering how much an inflatable costs to operate? If you know how many cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) you pay for electricity, it's easy to calculate the running cost of your inflatable by multiplying one by the other.

How To Calculate the Electricity Consumption (in kWh)

You need to use kilowatts in your calculations, so if your rating plate is expressed in watts instead of kilowatts, divide that number by 1000 to determine kilowatts. If your rating plate is expressed in volts and amps, multiply the volts by the amps = watts, then divide by 1000 to get kilowatts.

The kilowatt rating of an appliance is equal to the number of units of electricity it consumes per hour of operation. Those units of electricity are expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh).

• Small, internal blower systems use .336 units (kWh) of electricity per hour

• Our externa1 Dri Eaz blower system uses 1.32 units (kWh) of electricity per hour.

Calculate Running Cost

Refer to your latest electricity bill to find out the unit rate you are paying for electricity. It is expressed in cents per kWh. Most locations have 2 rates - one for peak supply and one for off-peak. Use the peak rate to calculate running costs of your inflatable system.

Multiply kWh by electricity cost

If your electricity cost is 12 cents per unit:

• An average 8' inflatable will cost .336 x 0.12 = 4 cents per hour to run. (about $0.97 USD per day.)

• An average 20' inflatable will cost 1.32 x 0.12 = 16 cents per hour to run. (about $3.80 USD per day.)

So, as you can see, not only are the inflatables themselves the best value for outdoor advertising, they are also inexpensive to operate, thus keeping your overhead costs low!