How Much Electricity Does A Treadmill Use?
Last Updated on May 31, 2021 by Justin Harris
How Much Electricity Does A Treadmill Use: It is wise to have a treadmill at home since it helps you stay fit. It is a machine that offers exercise opportunities for people with different fitness objectives. The treadmill is an excellent way to work out for everyone, be it one who is practicing for a marathon or a person recovering from an injury. It offers various kinds of difficulty levels to suit each person.
The treadmill offers a safe way to walk, jog, or run, depending on your capability levels. It avoids the dangers that one would face in the outdoors. There is no need to worry about a sudden spurt of rain. One doesn’t need to be careful about potholes or other obstacles that can occur on the road. In hilly areas, the treadmill provides an even surface to run on.
Apart from the cost of buying the machine, is there any other expense that one should worry about? There are no recurring expenses. But there is one bill one must think about. Treadmills consume power, and what most people want to know before they buy the machine is about the amount of electricity they will consume. Everyone wants to know what power charges they will need to pay.
Factors Affecting Power Consumption Of A Treadmill
Calculating any appliance power that works continuously without many variable factors will be much easier as you only need to know the motor’s power and how many hours it works.
But with a treadmill, many factors can affect the power consumption of the machine. The power of the equipment and your usage style will affect the amount of electricity that the treadmill consumes.
Motor Capacity
Not all treadmills have the same motor capacity. Treadmills for walking or jogging have lower power motors, while the ones meant for runners usually have motors of higher horsepower. This is usually mentioned as a part of the specification of the equipment. In treadmills, the power of the motor is written as CHP instead of HP. The CHP rating is equal to the horsepower of the motor.
When you know the CHP rating of the treadmill, it is easy to calculate the power consumption. Power consumption is calculated in kilowatt-hours, which means the kilowatt of electricity consumed in an hour.
A motor with 1 HP capacity will consume 0.746 kilowatt or units of power per hour. Treadmill motors come in CHP capacities ranging from 1 to 5. As the consumption is calculated on the time of usage, we must consider the next variable factor, which is the time of usage.
Duration Of Usage
Power consumption depends directly on the number of hours you use the machine. This will depend on how many people in your house use the machine. In some houses, all members will be using the treadmill for different purposes.
Your power consumption will depend on how many people use the treadmill for how many hours. If you can calculate the average time used per day, it is easy to calculate the month’s power consumption.
Speed
The speed at which you use the machine is another variable that can affect power consumption. Most machines can go up to a speed of about 12 mph, and the usage will not be uniform throughout your session.
Most people start at a slow pace and then move to a steadily fast pace. The speed will be different for a person who uses the machine for keeping active and someone who is practicing for a race.
Incline
The incline is a setting that most people buy the treadmill for. It will help them simulate walking uphill. For those training for strength or stamina, using the incline will be very useful.
The higher you keep the setting, the more difficult your walk is going to be. This will also increase the power usage of the machine. But unless the incline is used at a very steep setting regularly, there will not be much change.
Weight of the User
This is the tricky part when calculating the power usage of your treadmill. The weight of the user can have an impact on power consumption. The heavier the person is, the more power the motor will need to exert to move the belt. If multiple users of different weights use the treadmill, it may not be easy to calculate your power consumption.
How Can You Calculate The Power Consumption
With so many variables, it may not be easy for you to calculate your treadmill’s power consumption. With the motor capacity, you can calculate the power usage per hour. But with various other factors affecting your motor’s performance, it may not give you the exact figure.
You can probably make an approximate calculation by looking at the number of hours you use the machine. You can use the horsepower and the number of hours to calculate the wattage consumption of your machine.
In some machines, the wattage is given in the specification. This is based on the motors’ power, so you don’t have to take the trouble of calculating the usage. You can use this rating and the hours you use.
Accurate calculation of power consumption is not possible with so many variables. The best way to get the correct power consumption is to buy a power meter and connect it to your treadmill.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
1. What Are the Benefits of a Motorized Treadmill?
A motorized treadmill offers you a uniform speed, and this can make your workout easily measurable. Such models also have different settings that you can use for improving the difficulty levels.
Varying the speeds of belt movement makes exercising more exciting and helps to achieve your objectives quickly. A manual treadmill needs you to initially push the belt with more strength that can cause strain on your joints. Motorized machines also have better features.
2. How Do You Know the Consumption of Your Treadmill Motor?
The power consumption of your treadmill motor will depend on its horsepower. The higher the horsepower, the more power it will consume. The best way to know the consumption is to calculate the kilowatt-hour of your treadmill motor. This can be calculated by multiplying the per hour consumption by the motor.
3. What Are the Factors Affecting the Power Consumption of Your Treadmill?
Apart from the motor horsepower, other factors affect the power consumption of your treadmill. The duration of use is the main factor. Other factors include the speed of the belt, the incline, and the weight of the user.
Final Words
When you buy a treadmill, it is good to know what recurring expenses you will incur. There are hardly any maintenance costs for a motorized treadmill. But the one expense most people worry about is the power cost for the equipment.
While it is good to know how much you will be spending on power on these machines, that must not prevent you from buying one because the advantages are many. These machines keep you fit without your having to step out of the house. Moreover, having one at home will be much cheaper than paying a subscription at your neighborhood gym.
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