Electricity Cost Calculator

Your electricity rate

Your rate is on your electric bill — divide the bill total by kWh used for your effective all-in rate. Change the 0.17 placeholder to your own figure.

Appliances

Common appliance wattages

These are planning figures — actual draw varies by model, size, and setting, and appliances like fridges and AC cycle on and off. For an exact figure use the wattage on the appliance's label or a plug-in power meter, and use average-draw watts with the hours it actually runs.

How it works

Energy per day (kWh) = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per day. A kilowatt-hour is 1,000 watts running for one hour — that is the unit your bill is priced in.

Daily cost = kWh per day × your rate. Monthly cost = daily cost × days used per month. Yearly cost = monthly cost × 12. With multiple appliances, each row is costed on its own and the results add up — the per-appliance monthly and yearly figures appear under the combined total so the expensive items stand out.

Worked example: a 1,500 W space heater run 8 hours a day uses 1.5 × 8 = 12 kWh a day. At $0.17/kWh that is $2.04 a day, about $61 a month at 30 days, and about $734 a year — which is why a small heater left running is often the surprise on a winter bill.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find an appliance's watts? On the label or nameplate (sometimes given as amps — watts = amps × volts, and household voltage is about 120 V in North America), in the manual, or from the preset table above as a starting estimate.

Why is my bill higher than this estimate? Tiered rates, delivery charges, taxes, and always-on loads (routers, set-top boxes, chargers) add up. Use your effective all-in rate — total bill ÷ total kWh — for the closest comparison.

What about standby power? Count it as a very low-watt appliance with 24 hours/day — a 5 W standby load is about 44 kWh a year.