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Calculate Electricity Cost for Any Appliance

Built by Kevin Glover · @gloverbuilds · Verified formula

Enter watts and hours to see daily, monthly, and annual electricity cost for any device or appliance.

📅 Updated April 2026 ✅ Formula verified 📖 4 min read 🆓 Free · No sign-up

In this article

The Electricity Cost Formula
Biggest Electricity Users

The Electricity Cost Formula

Cost = Watts ÷ 1000 × Hours × Rate. A 1,500W space heater running 8 hours/day at $0.15/kWh costs $1.80/day or $54/month. Common appliance wattages: space heater 1,500W, hair dryer 1,800W, microwave 1,000W, TV 100-200W, laptop 50W, LED bulb 10W, refrigerator 150W (running), washer 500W, dryer 5,000W.

Biggest Electricity Users

HVAC (heating/cooling): 40-50% of electric bill. Water heater: 14-18%. Washer/dryer: 5-10%. Lighting: 5-10%. Refrigerator: 4-6%. Electronics/TV: 3-5%. Targeting HVAC efficiency (better insulation, smart thermostat, ceiling fans) provides the biggest savings per dollar spent.

⚡ CalcWolf Insight

Phantom load (devices plugged in but turned off) accounts for 5-10% of household electricity. A power strip with an on/off switch for entertainment centers and computer setups eliminates $50-100/year in wasted electricity.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a space heater?▾

A 1,500W space heater costs $0.15-0.23 per hour (at $0.10-0.15/kWh). Running 8 hours/day: $36-55/month. Running 24/7: $108-165/month. A space heater is cheaper than central heating only if you are heating one small room — for whole-house heating, central HVAC is more efficient.

How much electricity does a TV use?▾

Modern LED TVs use 50-200W depending on size. A 55-inch LED TV costs about $1-3/month at 5 hours/day. Older plasma TVs used 300-500W. Gaming consoles add 100-200W when active. Leaving a TV on standby uses 1-5W — negligible cost but adds up across many devices.

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Kevin Glover · @gloverbuilds

Founder, CalcWolf · GLVTS · Blickr

All formulas sourced from primary references — IRS publications, peer-reviewed research, and official standards. Results are tested against independent reference calculators before publishing. Rates and brackets updated when official sources change. Editorial policy →