Electrical Energy Calculator - Nova Scotia

This electrical energy calculator was created to support GreenLearning's Energy Revealed Program.

Instructions

To use this calculator, input the watts of the device you are investigating and the minutes a day it is in use. Once you click on 'Calculate Energy' the electricity used (kWh), the greenhouse gases emissions (g of GHGs) produced and cost of electricity ($) will be displayed. Keep scrolling to read more about out what these results mean.



Electricity
(kWh/year)

Results shown here

Environment
(GHG/year)

Results shown here

Cost
($/year)

Results shown here

Kilowatt Hours (kWh)

A watt (W) is the unit used to measure the flow of electrical power. A kilowatt (kW) is 1,000 watts. A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a way to measure the amount of electricity used in an hour.

When you use electricity, the amount of energy consumed is measured in kWhs. The amount of electricity used (kWh) is dependent on how much power your device uses (W or kW) and how long you use it for (Minutes or Hours). 

kWh Formula

kWh = (watts × hours) 
                              ___________                   
               1,000                                                    

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

GHGs refers to the collection of heat-trapping gases, including water vapour (H20), carbon dioxide (CO2), in our atmosphere. Generating electricity and using energy produces greenhouse gas emissions. Climate scientists agree that the main cause of the current climate crisis is the over-production of greenhouse gases by humans.

Some sources of electricity produce more GHGs than others. For example, burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas produces high amounts of GHGs compared to renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. 

Electricity Generation in Nova Scotia
In Nova Scotia, electricity generates on average 741.9 grams of GHGs per kilowatt hour (741.9 g/kWh).

Sources
Statistics Canada (2019)

RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software (2022)

Electricity Rates ($)

Electricity rates are the cost you pay per kWh of energy used. In addition to paying for energy you use, providers will also charge you additional fees. For example, you might pay a delivery fee, which includes costs such as maintaining transmission lines, account management and billing and the energy lost on its way to you. 

In Nova Scotia, electricity is priced depending on the time of day. This encourages people to adjust their activities in order to move thier electricity to off-peak and mid-peaks times. This also helps level the demand for electricity and reduce GHG emissions. The time-of-use rates change with the seasons as our electricity use changes. Summer peak is in the afternoon when it is hot and air conditioning use is high. The short winter days put the peaks in the morning and late afternoon.
  
Off-Peak: $0.1013/kWh
• Weekends & Holidays, 24 Hours / Day
• Weekdays, March to November - 11pm to 7am
• Weekdays, December to February - 11pm to 7am
Standard Rate: $0.1741/kWh
• Weekdays, March to November - 7am to 11pm
• Weekdays, December to February - 12pm to 4pmOn-Peak: $0.2057/kWh
• Weekdays, December to February - 7am to 12pm & 4pm to 11pm
On-Peak: $0.2199/kWh
• Weekdays, December to February - 7am to 12pm & 4pm to 11pm
 

Source