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03 / YOUR ENERGY

Appliance electricity cost calculator

Calculate the cost to run an appliance per month and year. Use watts and hours or annual EnergyGuide kWh, with your bill rate or a dated U.S. state average.

Free to useNo account requiredInputs stay in your browser
YOUR NUMBERS

Your electricity rate

Your own utility bill gives the most useful estimate. The prefilled 18.44¢ rate is an example.

Enter cents: 18.44 means $0.1844/kWh.

Your appliances

Use annual kWh for cycling appliances. All example values are editable.

Appliance 1

Compare an alternative (optional)

Compare the first appliance with an alternative using annual kWh. The quantity and rate stay the same. To compare whole households, save two scenarios.

Leave blank to skip; use 0 to model no energy use.

How well do you know these inputs?

Identify where your numbers came from. This measures input quality, not the chance of a correct prediction.

Remember useful preferences (optional)

Income, debt, vehicle values, and full results are saved only when you explicitly save a scenario.

Local calculations. No sign-up.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLEUSD

Estimated appliance energy cost

$41.49

per month

Your appliance uses about 225 kWh per month at 18.44¢/kWh. This models the appliances entered, not your entire utility bill.

Annual energy cost$497.88
Monthly electricity225 kWh
Largest modeled energy userSpace heater example
Annual electricity2,700 kWh
Appliances sorted by monthly cost
AppliancekWh / moCost / mo
Space heater example225$41.49
See the cost breakdown
Space heater example
$41.49/mo · 100% of use
Show the math

Space heater example: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 5 hours × 30 days/month × 12 × 1 = 2,700 kWh/year.

Assumptions & limitations
  • Wattage assumes constant draw during entered hours. For refrigerators and other cycling appliances, use measured consumption or the EnergyGuide annual kWh.
  • Fixed utility charges, demand charges, time-of-use changes, and unmodeled taxes are excluded.

Rough estimate

25/100 input quality

Confidence describes the quality of your inputs, not the probability this estimate is correct. The three source groups are equally weighted: example 25, estimate 65, checked 100.

Your modeled household

Largest user’s monthly cost
$41.49
Largest user’s share
100%
Read the full methodology ↗

KEEP THE COMPARISON GOING

A second option changes the picture.

Save your current estimate, adjust a few numbers, and compare. Scenarios stay on this device.

For example: Apartment A or Three days downtown.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter your electricity price in cents per kWh, or select a state benchmark and check its reference period.
  2. For constant power draw, enter watts and operating time. For a cycling appliance such as a refrigerator, use annual EnergyGuide kWh when available.
  3. Add the appliances you want to compare and adjust quantities. Review monthly and annual costs, then try an alternative annual energy-use figure.

THE CONTEXT BEHIND THE COST

Choose the right model before trusting the number.

Wattage describes power at a point in time. Energy depends on how long that power is drawn. A constant-wattage device fits the watts-times-hours model; a refrigerator that cycles on and off often does not.

For an EnergyGuide label, enter annual kWh rather than its printed annual dollars. The label’s dollar estimate uses a reference energy price. Applying your own bill rate to its kWh makes the estimate more relevant to you.

A whole-home list is a sum of the appliances you entered. It is not a complete bill forecast. Unlisted devices, standby use, fixed charges, taxes, tiered rates, and time-of-use pricing can explain the difference.

Cost examples

Space heater and annual-kWh running cost examples

All examples use an illustrative 18.44¢/kWh rate and one appliance. Heater examples assume constant draw for the stated hours, 30 days per month, repeated for 12 months. The annual-label example uses 550 kWh over a whole year and divides its annual cost by 12.

Illustrative appliance energy costs; fixed bill charges excluded
Usage examplePer monthPer year
1,500 W heater · 2 hours/day$16.60$199.15
1,500 W heater · 5 hours/day$41.49$497.88
550 kWh/year label example$8.45$101.42

The label example can represent a cycling appliance such as a refrigerator; 550 kWh is an editable example, not a typical-use claim. Check the device’s own label. For a heater with a thermostat, count the time it actually draws power.

A worked example

With the illustrative inputs used when this tool first opens:

Estimated appliance energy cost: $41.49 per month

Space heater example: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 5 hours × 30 days/month × 12 × 1 = 2,700 kWh/year.

Generated with the same calculation engine as the interactive result.

Formulas you can inspect

Monthly kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours/day × days/month × quantity. Explicit monthly schedules are multiplied by 12 for annual results.

Weekly annual kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours/day × days/week × (365.2425 ÷ 7) × quantity. Monthly average = annual ÷ 12.

EnergyGuide annual kWh = label annual kWh × quantity.

Energy cost = kWh × rate in cents ÷ 100. Household costs are summed before display rounding.

Assumptions and limits

  • Example heater and EnergyGuide values come from the product’s worked examples. They are not measured device specifications or a catalog of typical appliance wattages.
  • State rates are EIA residential averages for June 2026, released August 26, 2026. They are averages, not your utility tariff. Prefer a current bill.
  • A 30-day monthly schedule annualizes to 360 operating days. A seven-day weekly schedule uses 365.2425 days. These are intentionally different conventions.
  • Comparing an alternative shows modeled energy savings only. Purchase price, disposal, installation, service life, and manufacturing impacts are excluded.

Sources for this tool

Common questions

How much does a 1,500-watt space heater cost to run?

At an illustrative 18.44 cents per kWh, a heater drawing 1,500 watts continuously costs about $0.28 per operating hour. Five hours per day for 30 days uses 225 kWh and costs $41.49. Actual use depends on your rate, thermostat cycling, and operating schedule.

Can I use this as a kWh cost calculator?

Yes. The underlying cost formula is energy in kWh multiplied by the price per kWh in dollars. This tool accepts annual kWh directly or calculates kWh from watts and operating time. A rate of 18.44 cents means $0.1844 per kWh; enter 18.44 in the cents field.

Are the state electricity rates my exact utility price?

No. They are dated EIA residential averages, not a utility quote. Your service area, plan, time-of-use periods, and charges can differ. Use your own variable bill rate for a more relevant appliance estimate; this model excludes fixed monthly charges.

Should I run a refrigerator at its wattage for 24 hours?

Usually that would overstate constant power draw because the compressor cycles. Use annual label kWh or a suitable electricity meter measurement when possible.

Where do I find my electricity rate?

Your bill may show a price per kWh or energy charges and kWh used. Use an all-in variable rate that matches the charges you want to model; fixed monthly charges are excluded.

Why do monthly and weekly schedules differ?

An explicit 30-day monthly schedule repeats 12 times. A weekly schedule averages over a 365.2425-day year. Choose the convention that best describes your usage.

Methodology reviewed September 5, 2026. Appliance electricity cost methodology · Report a correction