Find out what any appliance really costs to run. Enter its power in watts, how long you use it, and your electricity unit price, and we'll show the cost per day, month and year — handy for comparing an energy-efficient model against a cheaper one.
The appliance
Cost to run
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Per day (on days used)—
Per month—
Energy used per year—
Estimate only. Calculations run entirely in your browser.
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How appliance running cost is calculated
Electricity is billed per kilowatt-hour (kWh). To find the cost, convert the appliance's wattage to kilowatts (divide by 1,000), multiply by the hours used to get kWh, then multiply by your price per kWh. A 1,500 W heater run for 3 hours uses 4.5 kWh; at 0.28 per kWh that's 1.26 a day. This calculator does the maths and scales it to monthly and yearly figures for you.
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Why efficiency matters more on some appliances
Running cost depends on power and how long it's on. High-wattage, frequently-used appliances — heaters, tumble dryers, electric ovens, air conditioners, old fridges — dominate your bill, so an efficient model pays back fast there. A low-wattage device used briefly costs little to run regardless. Use this tool to compare two models: the cheaper-to-buy one can easily cost more over its life if it's less efficient.
Finding an appliance's wattage
Check the rating label (often on the back or base), the manual, or the product specs — it's given in watts (W) or sometimes amps, which you multiply by your voltage to get watts. For appliances that cycle on and off, like fridges and freezers, the running wattage isn't on all the time, so their real annual energy use (often printed on the energy label in kWh/year) is a better figure to enter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the cost of running an appliance?
Divide the appliance's wattage by 1,000 to get kilowatts, multiply by the hours you use it to get kilowatt-hours (kWh), then multiply by your electricity price per kWh. For example, a 2,000 W appliance used 1 hour is 2 kWh; at 0.30 per kWh that's 0.60. This calculator does it automatically and shows daily, monthly and yearly costs.
Which appliances cost the most to run?
Generally those that combine high wattage with long or frequent use: electric heaters, tumble dryers, electric ovens and hobs, air conditioners, water heaters and older, inefficient fridges and freezers (which run constantly). Low-wattage electronics used briefly cost little. Enter different appliances here to see which ones are quietly driving your bill.
Where do I find an appliance's wattage?
Look on the rating label (usually on the back or underneath), in the manual, or in the product's specifications, where it's listed in watts. If only amps are given, multiply amps by your mains voltage to get watts. For appliances that switch on and off, like refrigerators, use the annual kWh figure from the energy label divided by usage for a more accurate cost.
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