cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Average monthly KWH?

JRRNeiklot
Explorer
Explorer
What's the average monthly electrical usage I can expect in a 19 foot travel trailer when plugged into 30 amp shore power? I'm pretty frugal, will be running led lights, a 24 inch tv, laptop, and I'll charge a few things like cell phones and a tablet. I know the fridge will draw some, even while on LP, and there will be a few miscellaneous phantom loads. I don't drink coffee, so no coffee maker or anything, though I might run the microwave once in a while, and of course the water pump. Anyone have a ball park figure?

Thanks.
19 REPLIES 19

Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Explorer II
John&Joey wrote:
We're not that frugal, and run the heat/ac/dehumidifier when we want. Pay .08/KWH and run about $50/month.

What we pay for electric at that park has nothing to do with being "frugal". It's just based on what our typical bill has been over the years that we've stayed there. If it's hot, we run one or both A/C's as needed. If it's cold, we run one or both furnaces as needed. In all cases, our comfort comes first over the cost. Never needed a dehumidifier, but if we did, we'd use that as needed as well.
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate

JRRNeiklot
Explorer
Explorer
$1 a day sounds good. Thanks, everyone.

CavemanCharlie
Explorer II
Explorer II
You can get rid of some of the phantom loads if you want. Find the memory wire going to your built in stereo and put a switch in it. Most RV microwaves are just normal microwaves and have a standard plug on the back. If you can get to it then you can unplug it.

Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Explorer III
JRRNeiklot wrote:
What's the average monthly electrical usage I can expect in a 19 foot travel trailer when plugged into 30 amp shore power? I'm pretty frugal, will be running led lights, a 24 inch tv, laptop, and I'll charge a few things like cell phones and a tablet. I know the fridge will draw some, even while on LP, and there will be a few miscellaneous phantom loads. I don't drink coffee, so no coffee maker or anything, though I might run the microwave once in a while, and of course the water pump. Anyone have a ball park figure?

Thanks.


Walk out to your meter..read it
Then tomorrow att same time.read it again

Now you have usage for 1 day.
Multiple by 30.......total for 30 day month

Gives you an idea....give or take a few KWH, what YOUR usage is.
Is it time for your medication or mine?


2007 DODGE 3500 QC SRW 5.9L CTD In-Bed 'quiet gen'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
US NAVY------USS Decatur DDG31

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Which cost less than a coal-fired plant and provide more employment.

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
but someone has to pay for the thousands of Wind/electric generators.. here.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

DrewE
Explorer II
Explorer II
The fridge on AC power uses maybe 5 kWh per day as a very rough guide. It's probably cheaper to run it on electricity than propane, though of course that depends on the relative cost of the two fuels.

The converter idling and "phantom" loads of the microwave clock etc. typically run around 30 or 40 watts for me, if memory serves, call it 1 kWh per day. That's with minimal or no actual usage--no lights or appliances or TVs etc. You might run double that, maybe a bit more, from the sounds of things.

A dollar a day sounds like a reasonable rough guesstimate overall, including a fridge on electric but excluding significant amounts of electric space heating or air conditioning. If you have the space, a compressor drive fridge (even an inefficient dorm size cube fridge) would save a good bit of energy over the absorption fridge, to the point where the break-even point to cover the purchase price is perhaps a year or two. Of course, it can't be run on propane when not on shore power.

Chuck_thehammer
Explorer
Explorer
here in south Texas.. @ 0.17 .. we use just under 300kwh. per month.. for $45.00
12 year old 30 foot trailer..not used a/c.
so propane is cheaper. aka water heater is on propane .. refrigerator is not.

but someone has to pay for the thousands of Wind/electric generators.. here.

Alabama_Jim
Explorer
Explorer
The dollar a day seems to be in line with projected use. However, you may use a lot more energy if you are camping up North.

Chrisatthebeach
Explorer
Explorer
When I was full timing in my previous unit, my largest bills were summertime never exceeding 60.00 at .11 KWH from SCE&G.
Winters around 30.00 to 45.00.
I ran the a/c in the summer, you have to if you live here. Refrigerator on electric, laptop pretty much stayed on and watched tv with satellite receiver in the evenings and weekends.
I also used two electric heaters, one took care of it most of the time, if it did get cold I ran one on high and one on low.
I cooked most meals including microwave usage as well.
The site I was in during this period was shaded in the most of the day helping with keeping cool.
I had metered electric, I read the meter myself and looked up the rate from the power company. I knew by the end of the month what my electric bill would be before it ever came.
In summer I would turn the a/c up to 80 during the day and turn it back down to 75 when I came in from work and would bring it down a few more degrees after dark to cool down for sleeping.
It all depends on what you use and how you choose to use it.
My experience with cost was about the same as Dutch 12078.
Chris & Dianne
Jayco Designer 3110 SOLD 6-11-2016, looking for the next one.
F250 PSD 4x4 Crew Cab

John_Joey
Explorer
Explorer
We're not that frugal, and run the heat/ac/dehumidifier when we want. Pay .08/KWH and run about $50/month.
There’s no fool, like an old fool.

Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Explorer II
At the one park we stay in long enough to pay separately for electric, I budget $1/day at $0.125/KWH for our usage. That's rarely off by more than a dollar or two for covering the monthly bill. That park is in central Florida, and we're there in February/March, so we seldom need any A/C.
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate

LadyRVer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Just got my Dec bill in. 268 KWH for the month. 8.9 kwh, was gone 5 days.

Statement said 14 Avg per day for Nov 2016
11 Avg per day for Dec 2015

Aug 2016 was 809 kwh, ÷ 31 = 26.10 per day

1 person hh, very frugal. Live in FL.
31'fiver, 30 amp. Refer on electric.

Edited by Barb

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
35 amp-hours @ 14.4 volts =~ 0.5 KWH assuming the fridge, water heating, space heating, and cooking are all done with propane. No running the air conditioner or computer, either.

On a 30 day month that would be 15 kwh.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
naturist wrote:
It's not the trailer, it's the resident that uses electricity. The only way to find out is to live in the trailer for a year, keep your bills, and do the math. If you are spending too much, find ways to cut back.


As my 15 year old DGS would say, Technically neither one uses electricity.:W The appliances and fixtures use the electricity.:R But in common speak, both are acceptable but saying the trailer uses it is used more often in the OP's case.:Z
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
2002 Winnebago Adventurer 32V
2009 GMC Canyon
Roadmaster 5000
BrakeBuddy Classic II