Appliance electricity cost calculator
What an appliance costs to run per month.
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How it's calculated
Watts divided by 1,000 is kilowatts; kilowatts times hours is kilowatt-hours, which is what the utility bills. Days per week times 52 and divided by 12 gives the average days in a month. Multiply the kilowatt-hours by your rate in cents and divide by 100 for dollars. The result is for a device drawing its rated power the whole time it is on; fridges, washers and anything with a thermostat cycle, so use their average draw.
How much does it cost to run a space heater?
A 1,500 W heater on for 8 hours a day at 17¢ per kWh costs about $2.04 a day, around $62 a month. It is the single most expensive plug-in appliance in most homes, which is why a heated blanket or a heat pump wins.
Where do I find the wattage?
On the label on the back or bottom, on the power brick, or in the manual, often as "W" or as amps and volts (multiply them: 10 A × 120 V = 1,200 W). The label is the maximum; a plug-in power meter shows the real average.
Why is my fridge cheaper than this says?
Because it cycles. A fridge rated 400 W runs its compressor perhaps a third of the time, so it averages 100–150 W. Enter the average, or the yearly kWh from the yellow EnergyGuide label divided by 8,760 hours times 1,000 for watts.
Results are estimates for informational purposes only and are not financial, medical or legal advice.