What any appliance costs to run — per day, month & year.
Use running wattage from the nameplate (or amps × volts), not surge/startup. For a fridge or AC, enter effective run-hours, not the hours it's plugged in.
Appliances that cycle on and off — refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, heat pumps — are plugged in 24 hours but only draw full power part of the time. A fridge compressor typically runs the equivalent of about 8 hours a day, so entering 24 would overestimate its energy use by roughly 3×. For an accurate figure, check the appliance's annual kWh on its EnergyGuide label, or measure actual draw with a plug-in power meter (e.g., a Kill A Watt).
This calculator estimates the electricity cost to run any appliance using three numbers you can find on the appliance and your power bill: its wattage, how many hours a day you use it, and your electricity rate. It follows the U.S. Department of Energy formula: kWh per day = (wattage ÷ 1000) × hours per day (× quantity if you have more than one). From there, daily cost = daily kWh × your rate, the monthly figure uses an average month of 30.4167 days (365 ÷ 12), and the annual figure multiplies the daily cost by the days you use it per year. Pick a compare-to appliance and it shows a side-by-side annual cost so you can see what you'd save by switching.
A 1500 W space heater run 8 hours a day, every day, at the US average rate of $0.1747/kWh:
(The tool keeps full precision internally and rounds only the displayed dollars, so figures can differ by a cent or two from hand-rounded steps.) Pick a compare-to appliance and the tool benchmarks it against that appliance's typical run-hours — for example, a space heater run 8 hours a day against a heat pump used its typical few hours — so the comparison reflects how each is normally used, not a forced same-hours match.
First find daily energy: kWh per day = (wattage ÷ 1000) × hours used per day × quantity. Then daily cost = kWh per day × your electric rate per kWh. Monthly cost = daily cost × 30.4167 (an average month, 365÷12), and annual cost = daily cost × days used per year. For example, 1500 W × 8 h ÷ 1000 = 12 kWh/day; at $0.1747/kWh that's $2.10/day, about $63.77/month and $765.19/year.
Check the nameplate label (usually on the back or bottom), the owner's manual, or compute it from amps × volts — a 120 V device drawing 12.5 A is 1500 W. Use the running wattage, not the surge or startup wattage that some labels list.
Dollars per kWh. The US residential average is about $0.1747/kWh (EIA, July 2025), so enter 0.1747, not 17.47. Entering the rate in cents is the single most common mistake and inflates the cost roughly 100x. For accuracy, use your all-in rate: total bill divided by total kWh, which includes delivery and taxes.
Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and heat pumps cycle on and off — they don't run continuously. Enter effective run-hours (a fridge is often around 8 hours/day equivalent), not the 24 hours it's plugged in. Using nameplate wattage at 24 hours/day is the biggest source of overestimation.
No — it's an estimate. Nameplate wattage is a maximum, many appliances draw less in normal use, and utilities often use tiered or time-of-use pricing. Use it to compare appliances and ballpark costs, then check your utility bill and appliance label for exact figures.
Yes — 100% free, calculated in your browser.
For informational estimates only. Real cost varies with actual usage, weather, how the appliance cycles, standby/"vampire" power, and tiered or time-of-use pricing. Check your utility bill and appliance label for exact figures.
Calculated in your browser. We don't store or sell your data.