SOLUTION: If the basic charge for electricity is $0.0683/kWh, how much will it cost per year to run a 60W porch light, 8 hrs/day, everyday? Please show all work. Thank you. It gets tricky

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Question 84063: If the basic charge for electricity is $0.0683/kWh, how much will it cost per year to run a 60W porch light, 8 hrs/day, everyday? Please show all work. Thank you. It gets tricky somewhere bteween Joules (J) and kilowatt hours (kWh). Is this even an algebra problem or should I be asking the science tutors?
Answer by bucky(2100) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You don't have to get involved with joules or units other than those mentioned in the problem.
.
Look at the problem this way. In one hour the bulb consumes 60 watts times 1 hour which
is the same as 60 watt*hours. To convert this to kw*hours, just divide by 1000. When you
do this division you get:
.
60 w*hr/1000 w/kw = 0.060 kw*hr
.
Units check:
.
%28w%2Ahr%29%2F%28w%2Fkw%29+=+%28w%2Ahr%29%2A%28kw%2Fw%29+=+%28cross%28w%29%2Ahr%29%2Akw%2Fcross%28w%29+=+kw%2Ahr
.
So for each hour it runs, the bulb uses up 0.060 kw*hr of energy.
.
How many hours does the bulb run per year? At 8 hours per day for 365 days in the year, the
bulb runs 8 times 365 hours which is 2920 hours.
.
Units check:
.
%28hrs%2Fday%29+%2A+%28day%2Fyr%29+=+%28hrs%2Fcross%28day%29%29%2A+%28cross%28day%29%2Fyr%29=+hrs%2Fyr
.
Then in a year the total consumption is 0.060 kw*hr for each hour times the 2920 hours in
a year for an annual amount of:
.
+0.06%2A2920+=+175.2 kw*hr per year.
.
Units check:
.
%28kw%2Ahr%2Fhr%29%2A+%28hr%2Fyr%29+=+%28%28kw%2Ahr%29%2Fcross%28hr%29%29%2A+%28%28cross%28hr%29%29%2Fyr%29+=+%28kw%2Ahr%29%2Fyr
.
And at a cost of $0.0683 for each kw*hr the annual cost to run the bulb will be:
.
$0.0683 * 175.2 = $11.96616 which rounds to $11.97.
.
Units check - using D to represent dollars):
.
%28D%2F%28kw%2Ahr%29%29+%2A+%28%28kw%2Ahr%29%2Fyr%29+=+%28D%2F%28cross%28kw%2Ahr%29%29%29%2A%28cross%28kw%2Ahr%29%2Fyr%29+=+D%2Fyr
.
Everything checks. Hope this helps you to see your way through this problem.