Electric Bill vs Dehydrating?

[Different Socks]

If a dehydrator is used almost every day for several hours, has anyone noticed what the effect has been on your electric bill? I'm trying to keep my costs down to save as much $$ as I can before I leave on my next adventure. In the past, the electric was included in rent. At the present moment it is not. If I were to dehydrate often, say every other day or so, what would be the effect on my electric bill?

[LaurieAnn]

I've dehydrated a ton over the past few years and have never noticed a big difference in the bill. Perhaps three to five dollars a month and that's if I am running it every day as I sometimes do when working on a manuscript. Our rates here are 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour for the first 600 kWh used each month and 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour above that.

[njordan2]

I use a Nesco dehydrator. It is 700 Watts.
Although electricity rates vary, the numbers I am about to give will be within 2 pennies per hour of accuracy, in the United States at various times of the year.

To run a 700Watt dehydrator, (which is about average), it costs 6.5cents per hour.

An elctric bill of $121 for 1,313kiloWatt-hours can be calculated as
121$/1313kWh=0.092$/kWh. Multiply this by 0.7kW, because 700 Watts is 0.7kW, and the answer is 0.065$/hr. or 6.5cents per hour.

If you have a 1400Watt appliance, double that: 13cents per hour.
If you have a 350Watt appliance, cut that in half: 3.25cents per hour.

[JAK]

In winter you recover that cost as heat, or at least some of it if you pay more for electricity than whatever fuel you use or have a heatpump. In summer if you are running AC then you pay twice, or you can move the dehydrator out doors, or perhaps use the sun, unless its humid. If you are running a dehumidifier as well as AC there might be some hidden cost there also. Hmmm, that gets complicated. But yeah, probably.

[sarbar]

It depends...is electricity expensive where you live? But then is it still cheaper to buy food and dehydrate it over buying the food already dried for you? Comes down to that really.

[JAK]

Plus if it is fun doing, a few cents an hour is pretty cheap.
I often spend way more than that, trying to be cheap.

[LaurieAnn]

I use a Nesco dehydrator. It is 700 Watts.
Although electricity rates vary, the numbers I am about to give will be within 2 pennies per hour of accuracy, in the United States at various times of the year.

To run a 700Watt dehydrator, (which is about average), it costs 6.5cents per hour.

An elctric bill of $121 for 1,313kiloWatt-hours can be calculated as
121$/1313kWh=0.092$/kWh. Multiply this by 0.7kW, because 700 Watts is 0.7kW, and the answer is 0.065$/hr. or 6.5cents per hour.

If you have a 1400Watt appliance, double that: 13cents per hour.
If you have a 350Watt appliance, cut that in half: 3.25cents per hour.

Thanks for that. Hubby used to be an electrician and I sent him an email (He's at the IMTS in Chicago for the next 9 days). I knew there was some over-my-head-calculation but couldn't remember how to do it.

In winter you recover that cost as heat, or at least some of it if you pay more for electricity than whatever fuel you use or have a heatpump. In summer if you are running AC then you pay twice, or you can move the dehydrator out doors, or perhaps use the sun, unless its humid. If you are running a dehumidifier as well as AC there might be some hidden cost there also. Hmmm, that gets complicated. But yeah, probably.

Moving the dehydrator outdoors isn't always a good idea if you live in an area where it is buggy... unless you like extra protein.

The dehydrator doesn't seem to affect the heat or the AC much in our place but the kitchen is also two full rooms away from the thermostat. The oven... now that makes a difference.

[LaurieAnn]

I forgot to mention that my dehydrator has been on a lot in the last year while I work on the second manuscript - my electric bill is $110 a month in the winter and $135 in the summer. This summer it was a bit higher at $150 to $160 a month. We had some record breaking temperatures so the AC was on a lot. We also have a newborn and there is an increase in laundry costs between clothing and cloth nappies. This also includes our water and sewage bill.

Heat is natural gas and on budget billing at $80 a month with 2 months free. Our house is brick and was built sometime around 1870. It has the original windows and a very cold basement/crawl space with dirt floor in all but the main room/laundry room. I figure we aren't doing bad for an old gem like this.

To be honest I'd probably spend more in fuel, wear and tear, and such driving to an outdoors store (or in shipping) to get pre-made foods so I don't really worry about the cost to dehydrate.

[sarbar]

In the US one can get free shipping from such places as Harmony House Foods, Frontier Co-op and PackitGourmet if they are ordering larger amounts ($75 to 150 depending on place). This can be a good option for those strapped on time or desire - and the products are high quailty (including veggies, fruits, meats, beans and more!)

And as always Minimus offers free shipping on orders over $20.

Frankly, for the basics in the hiker kitchen it is hard to beat these deals and let the Man in Brown ring yer door bell

[weary]

I use a Nesco dehydrator. It is 700 Watts.
Although electricity rates vary, the numbers I am about to give will be within 2 pennies per hour of accuracy, in the United States at various times of the year.

To run a 700Watt dehydrator, (which is about average), it costs 6.5cents per hour.

An elctric bill of $121 for 1,313kiloWatt-hours can be calculated as
121$/1313kWh=0.092$/kWh. Multiply this by 0.7kW, because 700 Watts is 0.7kW, and the answer is 0.065$/hr. or 6.5cents per hour.

If you have a 1400Watt appliance, double that: 13cents per hour.
If you have a 350Watt appliance, cut that in half: 3.25cents per hour.

The above figures assume that the full 700 watts, or full 1,300 watts are being consumed for as long as the hydrator is on. I suspect that is rarely so. I believe the heating element flicks on and off depending on the temperature the thermostat is set at. Homemade dehydrators commonly are powered by a 100 watt light bult, and even that wattage flicks on and off if it is thrermostatically controlled.

The best dehydration occurrs at low temperatures, typically 140-160 F. One hundred watts or less burning in a confined space quickly heats to those temperatures.

Weary

[The Solemates]

If a dehydrator is used almost every day for several hours, has anyone noticed what the effect has been on your electric bill? I'm trying to keep my costs down to save as much $$ as I can before I leave on my next adventure. In the past, the electric was included in rent. At the present moment it is not. If I were to dehydrate often, say every other day or so, what would be the effect on my electric bill?

seriously?

how about getting rid of internet, if you are paying for it. or getting rid of your cell phone, or not going out to eat, or not spending money on hobbies, or eating lots of spaghetti...thats the way you save money.

[Wise Old Owl]

If a dehydrator is used almost every day for several hours, has anyone noticed what the effect has been on your electric bill? I'm trying to keep my costs down to save as much $$ as I can before I leave on my next adventure. In the past, the electric was included in rent. At the present moment it is not. If I were to dehydrate often, say every other day or so, what would be the effect on my electric bill?

Clearly you miss the point. There is fun in what you do, and its not about what the watts are. If you are into Jerky as I am the meat if far more expensive and the quantity is half! Just buy it and pour your soul into making great trail meals and GET OUT THERE!

Hey if the electric bill is a Real Issue... try sun drying.

[Different Socks]

seriously?

how about getting rid of internet, if you are paying for it. or getting rid of your cell phone, or not going out to eat, or not spending money on hobbies, or eating lots of spaghetti...thats the way you save money.

Good ideas, but..............I don't have a cell phone, I don't have cable. All my hobbies have to do with being outdoors so I can't really skimp on those nor get rid of them and their associated costs. I rarely go out to eat, once a month if I am lucky. My car is 12 years old and I walk, bike or ride my scooter almost everywhere. Can't recall the last time I bought a book or CD or DVD(last year maybe?).
Other than underwear and socks, almost all clothes are purchased at the Salvation Army, and 90% of the time I only buy my food when it's on sale.

As for the answers to my questions: Thank you's to everyone!!

[The Solemates]

Good ideas, but..............I don't have a cell phone, I don't have cable. All my hobbies have to do with being outdoors so I can't really skimp on those nor get rid of them and their associated costs. I rarely go out to eat, once a month if I am lucky. My car is 12 years old and I walk, bike or ride my scooter almost everywhere. Can't recall the last time I bought a book or CD or DVD(last year maybe?).
Other than underwear and socks, almost all clothes are purchased at the Salvation Army, and 90% of the time I only buy my food when it's on sale.

As for the answers to my questions: Thank you's to everyone!!

good for you! i didnt mean to sound negative....its just that so many people I know complain about not having any money and they waste over half their paychecks on stupid stuff like cable, phones, internet, car note, etc....i tell them no wonder they cant save money!

have you tried a second job?

[Different Socks]

You weren't coming across as negative nor was I attempting to be sarcastic.

Oh, and I do have a 2nd job. The PT job pays the bills, the FT job goes in the bank. The OP was simply a question of cost b/c the electric bill sky rockets in winter, straining my paycheck from the 2nd job. And since I hadn't thought about the electrical cost of running a dehydrator close to 24/7, I was just curious as to how it would affect my electrical bill.

[weary]

You weren't coming across as negative nor was I attempting to be sarcastic.

Oh, and I do have a 2nd job. The PT job pays the bills, the FT job goes in the bank. The OP was simply a question of cost b/c the electric bill sky rockets in winter, straining my paycheck from the 2nd job. And since I hadn't thought about the electrical cost of running a dehydrator close to 24/7, I was just curious as to how it would affect my electrical bill.

You'll hadly notice the difference. Just make sure you eliminate other expensive additions to your electricity costs, like using incandescent light bulbs and not completely shutting off standby televisions and computers.

Use the extra money to buy a book now and then. Books are good.

Weary

[garlic08]

You'll hadly notice the difference. Just make sure you eliminate other expensive additions to your electricity costs, like using incandescent light bulbs and not completely shutting off standby televisions and computers.

Ditto this. I was amazed at how much my bill went down when I replaced often-used lights with CFLs--several dollars a month, which paid for the lamps in less than one year. "Phantom" loads like most electronics are a big waste, too. (Dang, I just noticed I left my printer plugged in all night.)

I also second the motion that using the dehydrator in winter will hardly make a dent in your bill. The heat will go directly into the house. Electric heat costs roughly twice as much per unit of energy as natural gas heat, and about 1.5 times that of LPG, so it's not a wash, but at least it's not all wasted.

[ZeroLozen]

You can do some dehydrating in your oven at low temps.

[sbhikes]

At some point you can't get your bill down any lower. At least that is how it is where I live. My boyfriend was trying everything to get his bills lower and they wouldn't budge. He finally found out that there was a minimum payment. Not sure if it was the electric bill that did this, though. Might have been the water bill.

[jeepcachr]

At some point you can't get your bill down any lower. At least that is how it is where I live. My boyfriend was trying everything to get his bills lower and they wouldn't budge. He finally found out that there was a minimum payment. Not sure if it was the electric bill that did this, though. Might have been the water bill.

That's funny...

Come on you guys give the OP a break. He's trying to find out how much it costs to run a dehydrator and making sure he's doing the right thing. It's a legit question. Most of the time you can dehydrate your own cheaper and better tasting than any of the commercial products out there. With dehydrating your own you also know what goes in it. Is it worth the time and effort? That depends on what your time is worth to you. For a guy that doesn't watch TV, read books, or have internet I'd be willing to bet he's got the time to do it and prolly works for himself pretty cheap.

Using a dehydrator is going to be a lot cheaper to run than using an oven.