Electricity Calculator
Enter your values below and click Calculate for instant results.
W
$/kWh
Estimate monthly and annual electricity cost for any appliance or device. Uses wattage, daily hours, and your utility rate.
Enter your values below and click Calculate for instant results.
Most people have little sense of which appliances dominate their electricity bill. This calculator lets you estimate the annual cost of any device by entering its wattage, how many hours per day you use it, and your utility rate per kilowatt-hour. The results often reveal surprising discrepancies between what people think is expensive and what actually drives their bills.
The US average electricity rate is approximately 16 cents per kWh as of 2026, but rates vary significantly by state. Hawaii pays over 30 cents per kWh while Louisiana pays around 10 cents. Check your most recent utility bill for your actual rate, which may also vary by time of day if your utility offers time-of-use pricing.
Heating and cooling typically account for 40 to 50% of the average home's electricity bill. Water heating is usually the second largest category at around 15 to 20%. Appliances (dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator) make up another 15 to 20%. Lighting has become a smaller factor as LED bulbs have replaced incandescent lights. Electronics and entertainment devices add up but rarely dominate the bill.
The formula is straightforward: watts divided by 1000 gives kilowatts (kW). Multiply kilowatts by hours of use to get kilowatt-hours (kWh). Multiply kWh by your rate to get cost. A 1,500-watt space heater running for 8 hours uses 12 kWh. At 16 cents per kWh, that is $1.92 per day, or about $58 per month if run every day.