I store my cars in a neighbor's garage. She is older and single and on a pretty tight budget. If I use 2 trickle chargers to keep the batteries up, how much power could they use in a month? I don't want her to think I am running up her electric bill. I know they do not continually draw power, but how to determine a cost?

Thanks again.

Try this:

Determining how much electricity your appliances and home electronics use can help you understand how much money you are spending to use them. Use the information below to estimate how much electricity an appliance is using and how much the electricity costs so you can decide whether to invest in a more energy-efficient appliance.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/estimating-appliance-and-home-electronic-ener gy-use

You can determine how much it costs to run the trickle charger. Get this Wall outlet power consumption

Forget the calculations, measuring and whatever.
Go to the local thrift store or hardware store and get a timer similar the one below.
Run the trickle charger 2 hours a day.
The cost will be less than 0.1 pennies a day.
That's about three cents a month.
Three cents can be easily found in a Walmart parking lot

Be_Zero_Be

You don't mention if your are paying her for storage. If not, you might consider paying all or part of her electric bill, depending on how much it is of course.

Don't be stingy!! your using her garage, kick in the dollars that's appropriate to rent that realestate, I'm sure that will go down much better than the offer of a few cents for electricity!

I'd tell her she is just going to have to give up a meal or two a week so she can cover the cost of the electric your using. Since she is older and therefore not as active she won't have to eat so much anymore. If you could talk her into skipping a few more meals or other extras maybe you could get her to cover the cost of some parts

Thanks everyone, I think I will go with Ron's plan. Although I like Dennis' idea as a close second.

Tom
My post was meant to be funny!
This is not a technically quantifiable problem.
It is a public relations issue, use Bob C's technical solution (its better) along with a hand delivered box of Sees candy every 6 months
Upon deliver of the first box casually mention you checked and a $1 per month would cover the cost of the electricity, but you thought she might like the candy more?

Of course with a little time on the internet one could find an answer such as this:

Cost of running a trickle charger?


""Ok, at 80 percent efficience (which it isn't, more like 95 plus percent) and assuming a 1.5 amp continous ouput,

[1.5(amps) / .80] x 14.6 (volts) = 27.4 watts / hour = 0.0274 KW/ hour ==> 20.0 kwh per month.

Using 100 percent efficience:

[1.5(amps) / 1.00] x 14.6 (volts) = 21.9 watts / hour = .0219KW / hour ==> 16.0 kwh per month.

I don't know your KWH rate, but this should give you some insight into the cost, 1 to 3 dollars a month. About the same as two bright night lights."" http://www.triumphrat.net/hinckley-classic-triples/96828-cost-of-running-trickle -charger.html

If I were reading this and was Tom's car's landlord, I would be planing to counteroffer two boxes every six months.

I would think more about insurance and stepping up to help rather than count pennies? Bud.

Hi Tom, I would worry more about burning the garage down and your cars leaving 2 chargers running. Unhook your batteries and forget it. I charge mine in the spring and usually get 5-7 years out of them. $55 each at Fleet farm. Don't be tight when it comes to safety.

Along the lines of what Bob Peterson said, take the batteries out of the cars and trickle charge then at your place.

Be_Zero_Be