Running air conditioners 10 hours a day costs 230,000 won

With the scorching heat enveloping the entire country, concerns are rising about electricity bills. The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) said that the running of a standing air conditioner for 10 hours a day will charge a user around 230,000 won per month.

On average, a family of four living in a city consumes 350kWh of electricity a month, which would cost them 55,080 won, according to KEPCO Friday. If they decide to run a standing air conditioner, which consumes 1.84kW of electric power, 10 hours a day for 30 days, 177,320 won will be additionally charged, pushing up the total amount to 232,400 won. Meanwhile, the usage of a standing air conditioner for 3.5 hours a day will add 62,780 won to a user’s bill, bringing the total amount to 117,860 won a month.

An electricity bill is calculated based on a standing charge and an energy charge. Differently applied depending on the monthly usage of electricity, a standing charge is fixed at 910 won (200kWh or less), 1,600 won (201~400kWh), or 7,300 won (more than 400kWh). Also for an energy charge, 93.3 won (200kWh or less), 187.9 won (201~400kWh), or 280.6 won (more than 400kWh) per kWh are applied.

“Before the progressive billing system was reformed, the running of a standing air conditioner for 3.5 hours a day for a month would cost people 171,370 won, and if they used it for 10 hours a day, they had to pay 460,980 won,” said KEPCO. “The adjustment of the progressive billing system in December 2016, however, greatly eased consumers’ financial burden.”


Hye-Ryung Choi herstory@donga.com