Energy
Estimate what an appliance costs to run hourly, daily, monthly, and annually.
Enter your numbers to see the answer.
Appliance running cost guide
This calculator turns an appliance’s power rating into money: what it costs to run for an hour, a day, a 30-day month, and a 365-day year at your electricity rate. It is meant for the everyday questions behind a bill — whether the second refrigerator is worth keeping, what a desktop PC left on overnight adds, or how much a 1,500 W kettle, iron, or rice cooker really costs per use. Start with the wattage on the nameplate or the manufacturer’s datasheet. For devices that run flat out while switched on (heaters, kettles, irons, incandescent lamps) the nameplate is a good estimate. For refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and anything with a thermostat or motor that cycles, the nameplate is a peak, so use an average or a plug-in meter reading instead. Enter the hours the appliance is actually drawing power, not the hours it is plugged in, and use the per-kWh price from your bill.
Energy per day (kWh) = watts × hours per day ÷ 1,000. Daily cost = kWh per day × rate per kWh. Monthly = daily × 30; annual = daily × 365; hourly = watts ÷ 1,000 × rate.
Worked example: a 1,500 W appliance used 3 hours per day at $0.16 per kWh. Per hour: 1,500 ÷ 1,000 × $0.16 = $0.24. Per day: 1,500 × 3 ÷ 1,000 = 4.5 kWh, and 4.5 × $0.16 = $0.72. Per 30-day month: $0.72 × 30 = $21.60. Per 365-day year: $0.72 × 365 = $262.80, which is the figure the calculator displays as the annual cost.
Enter power in watts; divide a kilowatt rating by 1,000 in reverse (1.2 kW = 1,200 W) and multiply amps by supply voltage if only current is shown (a 6 A label on 230 V is about 1,380 W). Hours are actual running hours per day and may be a fraction: 20 minutes is 0.33 hours. The rate is your tariff per kWh in your own currency; the symbol shown follows the site setting. Results assume a 30-day month and a 365-day year.
This is a modelled estimate, not a meter reading. Real consumption moves with weather, occupancy, appliance age, standing charges, and tariff structure, and equipment rarely runs at its nameplate rating. Use the figure to compare options against each other, then confirm against your own bill and the manufacturer's specification before committing to a purchase. On this page the figure rests entirely on power, hours per day, electricity rate, market / jurisdiction, effective date, data source, update owner and review date, so start there if the appliance running cost returns something you did not expect.
Good to know: standby power is real but small — a TV or set-top box drawing 5 to 15 W around the clock costs a few dollars a year, whereas a 1,500 W heater used one extra hour a day adds more than that in a fortnight. Do not use the nameplate for a refrigerator; a modern 300-litre unit labelled 150 W typically averages 40 to 60 W over a day. And do not mix a per-kWh rate with a fixed monthly connection fee; only the energy charge belongs here.
Energy results depend on tariffs, equipment behavior, region, weather, and installation assumptions. Verify rates and electrical decisions with the utility, manufacturer, or qualified professional.
Sources
How it works
Estimate what an appliance costs to run hourly, daily, monthly, and annually. This tool explains the calculation so you can adjust the assumptions to match your situation.
Worked example
With Power = 1500 W · Hours per day = 3 hours · Electricity rate = 0.16 $/kWh → $262.80 / year (estimated electricity cost). Change an input above and this example updates with your numbers.
Common questions
A typical modern refrigerator averages 40 to 60 W over a day, or roughly 1 to 1.5 kWh daily. At $0.16 per kWh that is about $5 to $7 per 30-day month; an older or larger unit can be double that. Enter the average draw, not the compressor’s nameplate rating.
A 1,500 W appliance uses 1.5 kWh each hour it runs, so at $0.16 per kWh it costs $0.24 per hour. Three hours a day comes to $0.72 a day or $262.80 a year.
Check the nameplate on the back or base, the manual, or the manufacturer’s datasheet. For cycling appliances such as fridges or washing machines, a plug-in energy meter gives a far better average than the label.
Heating and cooling come first in most homes, followed by water heating, refrigeration, and lighting. Small always-on loads add up too: routers, chargers, and standby electronics can total 30 to 80 W continuously, or 260 to 700 kWh a year.
Very little. A charger with no phone attached draws roughly 0.1 to 0.5 W, well under 5 kWh a year, or about $0.70 at $0.16 per kWh. Chargers actively charging a device draw 5 to 20 W.