Appliance Electricity Cost Calculator

Choose an illustrative appliance preset or enter any device's measured watts, runtime and electricity price.

Appliance preset

Average operating power (watts)

Hours used per day

Electricity price ($/kWh)

kWh/day—

Cost/hour—

Cost/month—

Cost/year—

Preset wattages are illustrative starting points. Product power varies; measured energy or an EnergyGuide value is better when available.

Appliance electricity cost formula

Cost = (watts ÷ 1,000) × hours × electricity rate

Watts vs kWh: the key difference

Watts describe power at a moment in time. Kilowatt-hours describe energy over time and are what residential electricity bills generally price. A 1,000-watt device used for one hour consumes 1 kWh if it draws that power continuously.

When watts are a poor input

Refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps and variable-speed motors cycle or modulate. For those products, measured kWh over a representative period or an annual energy rating can be more realistic than multiplying maximum watts by total elapsed time.

Dedicated appliance calculators

Air conditioner · clothes dryer · dishwasher · electric oven · dehumidifier · pool pump.

Measurement tip: Use a plug-in energy meter for compatible devices, utility interval data where available, or manufacturer energy-use information. See Methodology.