What are the electrical costs to brew with electricity?
It costs us about $1.60 in electricity to brew 10 gallons of beer, assuming we brew during peak electrical rates ($0.12/kWh). If we brew on the weekends or evenings when the rate is half the peak rate, the cost is about $0.80. $0.12/kWh also happens to be the average US national rate so most US brewers should expect similar costs. These costs do not include taxes, delivery charges, or other fees that your electricity provider may add. For a rough guess on total cost, double the price. So $1.60 to $3.20.
Most of the cost comes from powering the heating elements. We use one 5500W element in the both the Hot Liquor Tank and Boil Kettle to brew 10 gallons of beer. The heating elements are used as follows:
Heat strike water: 45 minutes at 100% power usage = (45 / 60) * 1 * (5500 / 1000) * $0.12 = $0.50
Mash: 90 minute mash at 5% power usage = (90 / 60) * 0.05 * (5500 / 1000) * $0.12 = $0.05
Mash-out: 20 minutes at 100% power usage = (20 / 60) * 1 * (5500 / 1000) * $0.12 = $0.22
Sparge: Heating elements not used, minimal power usage.
Bring to boil: 23 minutes at 100% power usage = (23 / 60) * 1 * (5500 / 1000) * $0.12 = $0.25
Boil: 60 minutes at 85% power usage = (60 / 60) * 0.85 * (5500 / 1000) * $0.12 = $0.56
Chill: Heating elements not used, minimal power usage.
While the pumps and the control panel are run for many hours throughout the brew day, they only add a few pennies to the overall cost given their extremely low power consumption.