Electricity Cost Calculator
Wattage, hours a day and your rate per kilowatt-hour. The rate is on your utility bill; the US average is about 16 cents.
How the math works
kWh = watts / 1000 x hours. Cost = kWh x your rate per kWh. A 1,500 W heater for 4 hours uses 6 kWh, which at 16 cents is 96 cents a day. Wattage is on the appliance label or its nameplate.
Common questions
- What does it cost to run a space heater?
- A 1,500 W heater is the most common size and costs about 24 cents an hour at the US average rate. Running it 8 hours a day for a winter month is around 58 dollars, which is why heating dominates a winter bill.
- Where do I find my electricity rate?
- On your bill, usually as a price per kWh. Add the supply and delivery charges together for the real figure, because the headline rate often excludes delivery, which can be a third of the total.
- Is standby power worth worrying about?
- Individually no, collectively a little. Standby devices typically draw 1 to 5 watts, so a single one costs a couple of dollars a year. A house with thirty of them is losing perhaps 50 dollars annually.