Appliance Energy Cost Calculator
How it works
Wattage times hours used per day, divided by 1000, gives kilowatt-hours per day — the unit electricity is actually billed in. Multiplying that by your price per kWh gives the daily cost, and the weekly, monthly and annual figures are just that daily cost multiplied out over 7, 30 and 365 days.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find an appliance's wattage?
Check the nameplate or label on the appliance itself, or its manual or spec sheet — it's often printed right on the back or bottom. If only an amperage (amps) is listed instead, you can get watts by multiplying amps by volts (amps × volts = watts) — most household outlets in the US run at 120 volts.
Why use a flat daily average instead of modeling how usage actually varies?
Real usage is never perfectly constant hour to hour — a fridge's compressor cycles on and off, a space heater's thermostat clicks in and out. But the daily average energy use is exactly what determines the actual cost over time, so multiplying it out to a week, month or year is a faithful projection rather than a rough guess stacked on another rough guess.
How do I find my local electricity price per kWh?
A utility bill usually states it directly, often labeled as a per-kWh or per-unit energy charge in dollars or cents. If your bill shows a price in cents per kWh, convert it to dollars first (divide by 100) before entering it here.