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msmith1199's avatar
msmith1199
Explorer II
Aug 24, 2017

Class A plugged in cost

I currently have my motorhome in an indoor storage unit and I have a 50 amp outlet in the unit. So I have plugged the motorhome in and had left the refrigerator on. I have kept my motorhome at home in the past but never realized how much energy it used when plugged in since it was combined with everything else.

I just got my first electric bill that shows a full month and almost the only power used was the motorhome plugged with the refer running. And I just remembered I did spend one night in the motorhome and ran the AC's and electric water heater for just that one night.

Total bill for just electricity use was about $34. That is for 272 Kilowatt hours of electricity. I guess I was expecting a little cheaper than that. I think what ran the bill up was keeping the refer running. The storage unit is all metal with no insulation and it gets hot on the inside. So it probably took some extra energy for the refer to keep it cool on the inside with triple digit temps on the outside. I turned the refer off so I'll have to wait and see what the charge for next month comes in at.
  • msmith1199 wrote:
    I turned the refer off so I'll have to wait and see what the charge for next month comes in at.


    Good plan. NO good reason to leave it running.

    After it warms up inside, make sure it is dry and then leave the doors cracked open.
  • rgatijnet1 wrote:
    Your inverter/charger might have also been on to keep the house batteries charged.


    Yes hopefully is IS. Otherwise no reason to plug it in at all probably.

    And if it is a newer 3 or 4 stage charger, that usage should be pretty small.
  • We have a residential fridge and leave it on along with the a/c set at around 82. We are in covered storage. Our bill is never over $30.00 total and usually in the $24.00-$26.00 range.
  • Although I thought it would be cheaper, I'm not concerned about the cost so much as I thought others may be interested in how much electricity the RV uses when just plugged in.
  • Second or third time I've heard that home style fridge/freezers are cheaper on electricity. And someone is running one with just four batteries through the inverter, dry camping with no problems. he may have auto gen start though.