How Much Does It Cost
to Run Your Appliances?

Multiply the appliance wattage by the hours you use it each day, then divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours (kWh). Multiply those kWh by your electricity rate. For example, a 1,500 W space heater used 5 hours a day uses 7.5 kWh, which at the U.S. average of $0.16/kWh costs $1.20 per day — about $438 per year.

Heating and cooling appliances cost the most because they combine high wattage with many hours of use. An electric furnace, central air conditioner, hot tub, space heater and clothes dryer are typically the top five. A 240V Level 2 EV charger also draws a lot of power, though its total cost depends on how many miles you drive.

A modern refrigerator draws 150–400 W but the compressor only runs part of the time — roughly 8 equivalent hours a day. That works out to about 1–2 kWh per day, or $60–$120 per year at the U.S. average rate. Older models can use two to three times as much.

The national average residential rate is about $0.16 per kWh, but it varies widely by state — from roughly $0.12/kWh in states like Louisiana and Idaho to over $0.43/kWh in Hawaii. California and several Northeast states also sit well above the average. This calculator includes a rate for every state.

Yes. Standby (vampire) power typically draws 1–10 W continuously. A device pulling 5 W all year uses about 44 kWh, costing around $7 annually. Across a whole home entertainment setup, standby loads can add tens of dollars a year — which is why power strips and smart plugs help.

The average U.S. grid emits about 0.386 kg of CO₂ per kWh. So an appliance using 1,000 kWh a year is responsible for roughly 386 kg (851 lbs) of CO₂. Switching to high-efficiency models or running appliances during solar hours lowers this footprint.