Electricity Cost Calculator · Running Cost of Any Appliance

Electricity Cost Calculator

Work out how much any appliance costs to run per day, month and year

Currency
Appliance
units
Power & usage
W
h / day
d / week
%
Duty cycle is the % of "on" time the appliance draws full power. Fridges ~35%, ACs ~65%, TVs and PCs 100%.
Electricity price
$ / kWh
Typical rates: US $0.16 · EU €0.25 · UK £0.28 · Australia A$0.30 per kWh.
Running Cost
💰 Moderate Cost
Cost per year
—
—
Cost per day
—
Cost per week
—
Cost per month
—
Cost per year
—
Energy per day
—
Energy per month
—
Energy per year
—
Effective power
—
Period breakdown
PeriodHours usedEnergy (kWh)Cost
Estimates assume the appliance draws its rated power during "on" time. Real consumption varies with age, mode and ambient temperature.
Powered by Toolraxy
\n';var escaped = toolHtml .replace(/&/g, '&') .replace(//g, '>') .replace(/"/g, '"');embedCodeTextarea.value = ''; }window.toggleEmbedPanel = function () { if (embedPanel.style.display === 'none' || embedPanel.style.display === '') { generateEmbedCode(); embedPanel.style.display = 'block'; } else { embedPanel.style.display = 'none'; } };window.copyEmbedCode = function () { embedCodeTextarea.select(); if (navigator.clipboard) { navigator.clipboard.writeText(embedCodeTextarea.value).then(function () { alert('Embed code copied!'); }).catch(function () { alert('Press Ctrl+C'); }); } else { alert('Press Ctrl+C'); } };/* ─── Bind ─── */ function bindAll() { [nameInput, quantityInput, wattsInput, hoursInput, daysInput, dutyInput, priceInput, currencySelect].forEach(function (el) { el.addEventListener('input', calculate); el.addEventListener('change', calculate); }); }/* ─── Init ─── */ function init() { bindAll(); calculate(); }if (document.readyState === 'loading') { document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', init); } else { init(); } })();

ADVERTISEMENT

Relevant Tools

Creator & Maintainer

Image of Faiq Ur Rahman, CEO & Founder Toolraxy

Faiq Ur Rahman

Founder & CEO, Toolraxy

Faiq Ur Rahman is a web designer, digital product developer, and founder of Toolraxy, a growing platform of web-based calculators and utility tools. He specializes in building structured, user-friendly tools focused on health, finance, productivity, and everyday problem-solving.

View Profile

Share:

Rate this Tool

User Ratings:

0
0 out of 5 stars (based on 0 reviews)
Excellent
Very good
Average
Poor
Terrible

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Your monthly electricity bill arrives as one number. It never shows which appliance drove the total. This calculator breaks the cost down by device. Enter the wattage printed on the rating plate, how long the appliance runs each day, and your price per kilowatt-hour. The tool returns a running cost per day, week, month, and year, plus the total energy consumed. Use it when comparing a new appliance against an old one, when deciding whether to replace a tumble dryer, or when you just want to know which devices are worth unplugging overnight. Fourteen presets cover the appliances that matter most, and forty-four currencies are supported.

 

How to Use the Electricity Cost Calculator

  1. Type the appliance’s wattage from the rating plate.

  2. Set hours per day to your typical daily runtime.

  3. Adjust days per week if it doesn’t run every day.

  4. Enter a duty cycle for appliances that cycle on and off.

  5. Add a quantity if you’re costing several identical units.

  6. Choose your currency and enter your price per kWh.

  7. Read the yearly cost in the hero panel.

  8. Scroll to the breakdown table for per-day, weekly, and monthly figures.

 

How the Electricity Cost Calculator Formula Works

Four calculations chain together.

Formula: Effective watts = rated watts × duty cycle % × quantity
Formula: Energy (kWh) = (effective watts ÷ 1,000) × hours of use
Formula: Cost = kWh × price per kWh
Formula: Yearly cost = kWh per year × price per kWh

Duty cycle matters for anything that cycles. A fridge compressor runs about 35% of the time it’s plugged in. An air conditioner sits at 60 to 70% during cooling season. A TV or a kettle runs at 100%. Skipping the duty cycle on a cycling appliance overstates the cost by two to three times.

The calculator needs a positive wattage. Hours can be zero, but the appliance then costs nothing to run. Days per week defaults to seven if left blank. Price per kWh clamps to zero or above. Quantity has a floor of one.

The badge groups annual cost into five bands: under $30 is very low, up to $120 is low, up to $350 is moderate, up to $800 is high, and anything above is very high.

 

Worked Example

A 1,200 W window air conditioner runs 12 hours a day, seven days a week, at 65% duty cycle. Electricity costs $0.16 per kWh.

Effective watts: 1,200 × 0.65 = 780 W
kW: 0.78

Energy per day: 0.78 × 12 = 9.36 kWh
Cost per day: 9.36 × 0.16 = $1.50

Hours per week: 12 × 7 = 84
Energy per week: 0.78 × 84 = 65.52 kWh
Cost per week: 65.52 × 0.16 = $10.48

Hours per year: 84 × 52 = 4,368
Energy per year: 0.78 × 4,368 = 3,407 kWh
Cost per year: 3,407 × 0.16 = $545.12

Monthly average works out to 3,407 ÷ 12 = 284 kWh, or $45.43 at the same rate.

The badge reads “High Cost” because $545 falls between the $350 and $800 thresholds.

If the same unit ran 8 hours instead of 12 at the same duty cycle, the annual cost would drop to about $363. Runtime is the single biggest lever on running cost for any appliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to run an appliance?

Three inputs decide it: wattage, hours of use, and your price per kWh. A 100 W appliance used 4 hours a day at $0.16/kWh costs about 6 cents daily, or $23 yearly. A 1,500 W appliance on the same schedule costs fifteen times more.

 

What is the formula for electricity cost?

Multiply watts by hours, divide by 1,000 to get kWh, then multiply by your price per kWh. A 2,000 W device run for 3 hours uses 6 kWh. At $0.16/kWh, that’s 96 cents. The calculator handles this across daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly views.

 

How much does it cost to run a window air conditioner?

A 1,200 W window AC at 65% duty running 12 hours a day costs about $545 per year at $0.16/kWh. Central AC at 3,500 W on the same schedule would cost closer to $1,600 annually. Runtime and thermostat setpoint matter more than the unit’s rated wattage.

 

What does kWh mean on my electricity bill?

A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy, not power. Running a 1,000 W appliance for one hour uses one kWh. Your utility charges by the kWh, typically 15 to 35 cents depending on region. When a bill says 800 kWh for the month, that’s the total energy all your devices used.

 

Does unplugging appliances really save money?

Only for devices with standby draw. A TV or charger pulls 0.5 to 5 W when idle. Across twenty such devices that’s 88 to 876 kWh per year, or $14 to $140 at typical rates. A switched power strip eliminates most of that without daily unplugging.

 

How do I lower my appliance running costs?

Cut the biggest loads first: heating and cooling runtime, then water heating. Shift usage to off-peak hours if your tariff supports it. Swap incandescent bulbs for LEDs, wash at 30°C, and run the dishwasher only when full. Together those changes shave 10 to 20% off the annual bill.

 

Which appliance costs the most to run?

In most homes, the space heater or the air conditioner leads. A 1,500 W heater used 6 hours a day costs about $524 per year. Central AC can exceed $1,600. Fridges and freezers are always-on but their annual cost is usually $70 to $130.

 

How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?

A 7.2 kW home charger running 3 hours a day, five days a week, uses about 5,600 kWh per year. At $0.16/kWh that’s roughly $900 annually. Off-peak tariffs at $0.08/kWh halve the figure. Many EV owners charge overnight on cheaper time-of-use rates.

 

What is a duty cycle and why does it matter for cost?

It’s the percentage of time an appliance draws full power while switched on. A fridge cycles at about 35%. An air conditioner sits at 65% in cooling season. Ignoring duty cycle overestimates cost by two to three times for cycling appliances.

 

Why is my bill higher than the calculator estimates?

Standby loads, aging appliances, seasonal weather, and tariff structure all sit outside the estimate. The calculator models one device at a fixed rate. Real homes run many appliances with variable usage. Use the tool to compare devices, not to predict the whole bill.

Disclaimer

This calculator produces estimates, not measurements. Real consumption varies with appliance age, ambient temperature, load, and how often the unit cycles. Electricity prices change by season and tariff. Standing charges, taxes, and time-of-use rates sit outside the calculation. Don’t use these figures for billing disputes or equipment sizing without checking against a measured meter reading. For anything involving electrical installation, consult a licensed electrician.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT