Val's whole-house central air conditioner uses 3,500 watts when running. Val runs the AC 4 hours per summer day. Electricity costs (12 cents)/(1 kilowatt-hour). How much does Val's AC cost to run for a summer month of 30 days?

To find the cost of running Val's air conditioner for a summer month of 30 days, we can break down the problem step by step.

### Step 1: Convert watts to kilowatts
Val's air conditioner uses 3,500 watts. Since 1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 watts:
\[
\text{Power in kW} = \frac{3,500 \text{ watts}}{1,000} = 3.5 \text{ kW}
\]

### Step 2: Calculate daily energy consumption
Val runs the AC for 4 hours per day. The energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day is:
\[
\text{Energy per day} = 3.5 \text{ kW} \times 4 \text{ hours} = 14 \text{ kWh/day}
\]

### Step 3: Calculate monthly energy consumption
For a 30-day month, the total energy consumption is:
\[
\text{Total energy} = 14 \text{ kWh/day} \times 30 \text{ days} = 420 \text{ kWh}
\]

### Step 4: Calculate the cost
Electricity costs 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is $0.12 per kWh. The total cost for the month is:
\[
\text{Cost} = 420 \text{ kWh} \times 0.12 \text{ dollars/kWh} = 50.4 \text{ dollars}
\]

Thus, the cost to run Val's air conditioner for a 30-day summer month is **$50.40**.

Would you like further details or have any questions?

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Here are 5 related questions to deepen your understanding:
1. How much would the cost change if electricity prices rose to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour?
2. What would the cost be if Val ran the AC for 5 hours per day instead of 4?
3. How would the total cost change for a summer month with 31 days?
4. If Val upgraded to a more efficient AC using 2,800 watts, what would the new monthly cost be?
5. How much would the AC cost for a single week if the price of electricity remained the same?

**Tip:** Always ensure units are consistent when calculating energy and cost; convert watts to kilowatts when dealing with electricity consumption.

Find out how much it costs to run a 3,500-watt air conditioner for 4 hours per day over a 30-day month. This problem involves energy consumption, unit conversion from watts to kilowatts, and cost calculation at 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. Perfect for Grades 6-8 students learning basic electricity and cost estimation.

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