Naive question: does xPAP affect your electricity bill?

I don't mean to start any flame wars here but am genuinely interested in finding out how xPAP therapy affects your electricity bills (if at all).

Let me say up front that this thread is NOT intended to suggest that xPAP is not worth it, even if it did cause higher energy bills. Obviously, breathing is always worth it!!

Just got my latest bill that includes my first full month's use of CPAP, and it's about 20% higher. On the other hand, I may have used more air conditioning this month. I'm just curious to know how energy efficient our beloved xPAPs are and what your experiences have been.

My ASV CPAP has a 70 watt power supply so it can't draw more than that.
Assume it does and runs 7 hours each night for 30 days.
That totals to 2,100 watt-hours for the month or 2.1 Kilowatt hours for the month.
Check on your bill to see what your company charges per kilowatt-hour. I'd guess the extra cost is less than $0.50 for the month.

BuddhaCat wrote:I don't mean to start any flame wars here but am genuinely interested in finding out how xPAP therapy affects your electricity bills (if at all).

Let me say up front that this thread is NOT intended to suggest that xPAP is not worth it, even if it did cause higher energy bills. Obviously, breathing is always worth it!!

Just got my latest bill that includes my first full month's use of CPAP, and it's about 20% higher. On the other hand, I may have used more air conditioning this month. I'm just curious to know how energy efficient our beloved xPAPs are and what your experiences have been.

I haven't noticed any increase in my electric bill. My guess is they are pretty energy efficient.

Thanks JDS74 and Bill44133 -- I'll check out my kilowatt hours and do the math!

Not significant for cpap, even with HH and heated hose.
An O2 concentrator, however, might be like a small fridge.

does xPAP affect your electricity bill?

Yes, if affects mine in a big way.

I am in my early eighties and using xPAP has allowed me to still be working full time and earning the money to pay the electricity bill and have a lot of money left over.

chunkyfrog wrote:Not significant for cpap, even with HH and heated hose.
An O2 concentrator, however, might be like a small fridge.

Good point chunkyfrog -- I didn't even mention my humidifier and heated hose. Glad to know the effect is negligible.

Sleep2Die4 wrote:

does xPAP affect your electricity bill?

Yes, if affects mine in a big way.

I am in my early eighties and using xPAP has allowed me to still be working full time and earning the money to pay the electricity bill and have a lot of money left over.

Good for you, Sleep2Die4!!!

I estimate mine is around $10 a year.

archangle wrote:I estimate mine is around $10 a year.

Wow. A bargain at any price!

Looking at your bill, you should use the rate from the highest tier, since you want to know how much more you're paying.
Rates also vary by month, so an annual number would require you to look at 12 statements.
Anyway, here's a probably maximum value based on a high rate month and the full 80 watts from my power supply:




0.080 kW * 7 hrs/day * 30 days/mo * $0.36/kwhr = $6/month = $72/year

BuddhaCat wrote:I don't mean to start any flame wars here but am genuinely interested in finding out how xPAP therapy affects your electricity bills (if at all).

Let me say up front that this thread is NOT intended to suggest that xPAP is not worth it, even if it did cause higher energy bills. Obviously, breathing is always worth it!!

Just got my latest bill that includes my first full month's use of CPAP, and it's about 20% higher. On the other hand, I may have used more air conditioning this month. I'm just curious to know how energy efficient our beloved xPAPs are and what your experiences have been.

You can get your electricity company to check your usage - there is usually an online program where you can load in your electronics and get an estimate.
If you have a well with pump, when it begins to die it can really suck electricity - so can aquariums.

archangle wrote:I estimate mine is around $10 a year.

I agree... and please note that's a YEAR not a month! It's the AC/heat in my house that makes for the big bucks.

JDS74 wrote:My ASV CPAP has a 70 watt power supply so it can't draw more than that.
Assume it does and runs 7 hours each night for 30 days.
That totals to 2,100 watt-hours for the month or 2.1 Kilowatt hours for the month.
Check on your bill to see what your company charges per kilowatt-hour. I'd guess the extra cost is less than $0.50 for the month.

Check your math - looks like 14.7kWh per month to me. SoCarolina averages about 11¢ /kw-hr so that'd be about $20/year.

As for the actual power draw, you could get one of these cool things:

sc0ttt wrote:Looking at your bill, you should use the rate from the highest tier, since you want to know how much more you're paying.
Rates also vary by month, so an annual number would require you to look at 12 statements.
Anyway, here's a probably maximum value based on a high rate month and the full 80 watts from my power supply:




0.080 kW * 7 hrs/day * 30 days/mo * $0.36/kwhr = $6/month.

I've measured my S9 and get less than 30 watts average at pressure = 16 and heated humidifier, but no heated hose. Measured with one of the Kill-a-watt meters over a night or two.

Your 80 watts is the worst case based on the max rating of the power supply. A valid quick estimate, but real numbers will probably be less averaged over the whole night. My max electrical rate is $.15/kWh.

My number is 30w * 8 hours * 365 days * .001 kW/W * 0.15 $/kWh = $13/year.

YMMV based on actual power usage and electrical rates.