Estimate the electricity used and cost of powered hive equipment across an apiary. Combine the wattage per colony, operating hours, number of days, duty cycle, and electricity price to calculate total kilowatt-hours, total cost, cost per colony, and average daily expense for heaters, ventilation, monitoring, or similar loads.
The main result is estimated electricity cost for the complete operating period. Secondary results expose the load and how it spreads across colonies and days.
Demand charges, fixed utility fees, battery losses, inverter losses, and changing thermostat behavior are not included unless reflected in your duty-cycle assumption.
Thirty colonies at 20 W each, scheduled 12 hours daily for 90 days at a 60% duty cycle, use 388.8 kWh. At $0.16/kWh, the estimated cost is $62.21, or $2.07 per colony.
It is the percentage of scheduled time the device is actually drawing its rated power.
Yes. Add all continuous or cycled electrical loads allocated to each colony.
No. It calculates variable energy cost from kilowatt-hours and the entered rate.
Enter 24 operating hours and a 100% duty cycle.
It can estimate load energy, but it does not size panels, batteries, or account for solar losses.
| Input | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Powered colonies | Number of colonies using the equipment. | colonies |
| Rated power per colony | Combined rated wattage attached to each colony. | W |
| Operating time per day | Scheduled powered hours each day. | hours |
| Operating period | Number of days in the estimate. | days |
| Average duty cycle | Share of scheduled time the equipment actually draws rated power. | % |
| Electricity price | Use your delivered energy rate when available. | $/kWh |