Calculating the Cost of Electric Power Activity Sheet
Introduction
Georgia Power, the major electric utility in Georgia, sends a monthly bill to its customers based on how much electric power they have used. Utilities charge different rates for winter (October through April) and summer (June through September) seasons. In the summer, customers are charged an escalating rate, whereas in the winter they are charged a declining rate. Examine the chart below.
Utility Rate
| kWh | Summer | Winter |
| First 650 kWh | $.04782 | $.04782 |
| Next 350 kWh | $.07948 | $.04104 |
| Over 1000 kWh | $.08184 | $.04040 |
The base rate each month is $7.50 whether customers used any electricity or not. In addition, customers pay 5% sales tax and a fuel recovery cost of $.015 per kilowatt-hour.
Questions
Use the Georgia Power Bill to answer these questions.- In December, the Kendrix family stayed at home for two weeks to celebrate the
Christmas season with family and friends. The regular group of two adults and three
teenage children was augmented with visiting grandparents and plenty of spend-the-night friends. Meals were cooked at home, and laundry was done daily. At the end of
the month, Mr. Kendrix was suprised to see his electric bill, which stated that 3233
kWh of electricity had been used.
Calculate the Kendrix family's power bill.
- In April, the entire Kendrix family took a trip to Washington State, and the house was
empty for three weeks. The monthly power bill stated that they had used only 630
kWh. Calculate their power bill.
- In July, the heat wave and summer drought brought daily temperatures into the
nineties. Mrs. Kendrix set the air conditioner on 76 degrees Fahrenheit. The power bill
stated that 2995 kWh of electricity were used. Calculate the Kendrix power bill for
July.
- During which season is electricity expensive to use? Does the amount of electricity one
uses affect the cost of this energy to the customer?
- How could a family conserve electricity in the summer?
- Do utilities encourage or discourage customers to use a lot of electricity in the summer? Explain your answer.
Excerpted from Hands-On General Science Activities with Real-Life Applications.
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