Calculate by Observing Your Energy Use

• 1). Determine the wattage of all electrical items in your home. An item's wattage may be listed on the product itself, so search the bottom, back, or electrical cord for this information. If you're unable to find the wattage on the item, look in the product manual or go to the manufacturer's website. Another option is to use a wattage estimate that is typical for a category of an electrical item. Wattage estimates can be found on the Internet.
  
  
• 2). Calculate the total wattage your home uses by adding up the wattage of each individual item. Be sure to write down the total wattage in a place where you can easily find it.
  
  
• 3). Record how many hours are spent using each item in one day. Write down the name of the item and, next to it, document when you turn the item on and off. However, some appliances and electrical equipment consume a few watt hours even when it's not powered on. Computers, televisions and kitchen appliances are some items that draw electricity in a powered-down state. Contact the manufacturer or search the product manual for more information for the most accurate calculation.
  
  
• 4). Calculate the total number of hours you spend using electrical items in your household. Add together the time spent using each individual item and write down the number.
  
  
• 5). Multiply the total wattage you calculated in Step 2 by the total of numbers you spend using every electrical item that you received in Step 4. The resulting number is the total wattage that you use per day.
  
  
• 6). Divide the total wattage you use per day by 1000. Performing this step gives you your daily kilowatt-hour usage, which your electric company uses to calculate your electric bill.
  
  

Calculate by Reading Your Meter

• 1). Determine if you have a digital meter or a dial meter. A digital meter displays numbers in the same way the odometer in your car displays numbers. A dial meter has five dials with numbers on the face of each dial. Go to your meter and examine it to determine whether your meter is a digital or dial meter.
  
  
• 2). Read the current number on your meter. Your meter tells you the total kilowatt hours that have been used in between readings. However, the way in which you read the meter varies if you have a digital meter or a dial meter. To read a digital meter, simply record the current number that is displayed by the meter.
  
  Reading a dial meter is more complicated. A dial meter has five dials with number on the face of the dial that you must read. The number on some dials will be listed just like the numbers on a clock. On other dials, the numbers will be printed counter clockwise. For dials with clockwise numbers, the hand moves clockwise. The hand moves counterclockwise on dials where the numbers are written counterclockwise. To read a dial meter, start with the dial furthest to the left. Write down the number that the dial hand has just passed for each dial until you have a five digit number.
  
  
• 3). Subtract the amount of kilowatts used in your last billing cycle to the amount of kilowatts you just read from your meter. The resulting number is the amount of kilowatts you used in between your last electric billing cycle and the moment at which you read your meter.