Estimate the daily, monthly, and annual cost of running an electrical appliance from wattage, daily usage hours, electricity rate, and billing days.
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Appliance Running Cost
An electricity cost calculator converts appliance wattage, daily usage hours, and the utility rate per kilowatt-hour into an estimated daily, monthly, and annual running cost so you can compare appliances and plan your electricity budget.
This calculator takes the power draw of an appliance in watts, the number of hours you run it each day, your electricity rate in dollars per kilowatt-hour, and the number of billing days per month to produce a cost estimate at three time horizons: daily, monthly, and annual.
It also reports energy consumption in kilowatt-hours at each interval so you can compare devices by energy draw rather than just cost.
The calculation converts watts to kilowatts, multiplies by hours of use to get daily energy consumption, then multiplies by the electricity rate to arrive at cost.
kWh per day = Watts x Hours per day / 1,000
Converts watt-hours of daily usage into kilowatt-hours.
Daily cost = kWh per day x Electricity rate
Multiplies daily energy consumption by the price per kilowatt-hour.
Monthly cost = kWh per day x Days per month x Electricity rate
Extends the daily cost across the billing period.
Annual cost = kWh per day x 365 x Electricity rate
Projects the daily cost across a full year.
Use the monthly cost as a budgeting baseline. For example, a 1,000-watt appliance running 5 hours a day at $0.12 per kWh costs roughly $18 per month and $219 per year. Comparing two appliances with different wattages at your local rate shows which one is cheaper to run over time.
The annual figure is especially useful when deciding whether to replace an older, less efficient appliance with a newer model, because the energy savings can offset the purchase price over the life of the device.
This calculator assumes a flat electricity rate and does not model tiered pricing, time-of-use rates, demand charges, or seasonal rate changes. It also does not account for standby power draw when the appliance is off but plugged in.
For a full electricity bill estimate, you would need to add up the costs of all appliances and include any fixed service charges from your utility provider.
Frequently asked questions
Check the label on the appliance or its manual. The wattage is usually listed near the power cord or on a sticker on the back or bottom of the device. You can also look up the model number online.
In the United States, residential electricity rates typically range from about $0.10 to $0.30 per kWh depending on the state and utility provider. Check your electricity bill for your exact rate.
No. This calculator only estimates the cost while the appliance is actively running at its rated wattage. Standby or phantom power draw is typically much lower and would need to be calculated separately.
The annual figure uses 365 days for a precise yearly projection, while the monthly figure uses the billing days you specify. The two projections are calculated independently so they may not multiply exactly to match each other.
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