Home Electricity Usage Calculator

List your appliances to estimate monthly energy use and cost, and see which ones use the most.

Estimated cost: — per month

Cost per year: —
Energy per month: —
Energy per year: —

Where the energy goes

Appliance	kWh per month	Cost per month	Share

Where to find your numbers

Not sure what to enter? Here is where to find each value for your own home. If you cannot find one, leave the example value and treat the result as a rough estimate.

Watts, hours and days for each appliance

Fill one row per appliance. The pre-filled rows are rough examples, so replace them with your own numbers.

Watts: check the appliance label (back, bottom or inside the door). If it shows amps and volts, multiply them. A plug-in power meter or energy-tracking smart plug gives the most accurate reading.
Hours per day: use the time it is actually running, not the time it is plugged in. For things that cycle on and off, such as a refrigerator, use the average running time.
Days per week: how many days you use it. A dishwasher run five times a week is 5. Enter 7 for something used every day.
No watts on the label? Many appliances list yearly energy use (kWh per year) on a yellow EnergyGuide label. Divide that number by 8.76 to get average watts, then enter 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. For example, 438 kWh per year is about 50 watts running around the clock.

Skip anything you cannot measure and add it later. The big users (heating, cooling, water heating, dryers and ovens) matter far more than small gadgets.

Electricity rate ($ per kWh)

This is what your utility charges for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity.

Open your latest electric bill (paper, email, or your utility's website or app).
Look for a line called "price per kWh", "energy charge" or "rate". It is often shown in cents, so divide by 100 (17 cents is 0.17).
If the bill only shows totals, divide the total electricity charges by the kWh used. This quick all-in rate includes fixed fees, so it runs a little high.
If your rate changes by time of day or by how much you use, use an average, or the rate that applies when you use the appliance most.

No bill handy? About 17 cents is a rough US average, so the pre-filled value is a fair start. Rates vary a lot by state and utility, so your own number is better.

See the average residential rate for every state

How it works

For each appliance, energy per year is watts divided by 1,000, times hours per day, times days per week divided by 7, times 365. Cost is that energy times your rate. Monthly figures are the yearly figures divided by 12. The example rows are rough values for illustration. To price a single appliance in more detail, use theappliance electricity cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the watts for each appliance?

Look for the label on the appliance or in its manual. If it lists amps, multiply by 120 volts. A plug-in power meter gives the most accurate number. The example rows are rough values, so replace them with your own.

What hours should I enter for a refrigerator?

A refrigerator cycles on and off all day, so use its average running time rather than 24 hours. Many are in the range of 150 watts for about 8 hours a day, which works out near 1.2 kWh a day. A power meter over a full day gives a better number.

Will this match my electric bill?

Not exactly. Your bill includes things this tool does not, such as fixed monthly fees, taxes, tiered or time-of-use rates, heating and cooling, and appliances you did not list. Use it to compare appliances and find the big ones.

What does days per week mean?

It lets you enter appliances you do not use every day. A dishwasher run five times a week is 5 days. The tool spreads the usage across the week to get a daily average.

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Related tools

How the numbers are produced: see our methodology.