Appliance energy usage
How much does it cost per year to operate your appliances?
Find the average annual operating costs for many of your appliances.
- These costs are based on an average residential service rate of $0.0776 a kilowatt-hour, an off-peak water-heating rate of 0.0555 a kilowatt-hour, and an off-peak rate of $0.03752 a kilowatt-hour and are intended as examples.
- Your actual price may vary by your state, season, and rate.
- All cost calculations are rounded to the nearest $.01.
- The cost to operate any appliance can be calculated with this formula:
Operating cost= wattage / 1,000 x hours used x cost per kilowatt-hour
| Operation and cost per cooling season | ||||||||
Appliances
|
Approx. average wattage | Low hours of use |
High hours of use |
Low kilowatt-hours | High kilowatt-hours | Low cost |
High cost |
|
| Air conditioner | ||||||||
| room | 6,000 Btu | 750 | 120 | 720 | 90 | 540 | $6.98 | $41.90 |
| room | 9,000 Btu | 1,050 | 120 | 720 | 126 | 756 | $9.78 | $58.67 |
| central | 8.5 SEER 2.5 ton | 3,500 | 240 | 860 | 840 | 3010 | $65.18 | $233.58 |
| Air-source heat pump | ||||||||
| (12 SEER 2.5 tons) off-peak rate |
2500 | 240 | 860 | 600 | 2150 | $22.51 | $80.67 | |
| (14.5 SEER 2.5 tons) off-peak rate |
2000 |
240 |
860 |
480 |
1720 |
$18.01 |
$64.53 |
|
| Monthly | ||||||||
| Air cleaner (room and furnace) | 40 | 250 | 720 | 10 | 29 | $0.78 | $2.23 | |
| Barbecue grill | 1,350 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 14 | $0.52 | $1.05 | |
| Baseboard heater (4 ft., 250 watts/ft.) | 1000 | 100 | 200 | 100 | 200 | $7.76 | $15.52 | |
| Blanket | 180 | 30 | 90 | 5 | 16 | $0.42 | $1.26 | |
| Block heater | 500 | 120 | 480 | 60 | 240 | $4.66 | $18.62 | |
| Broiler | 3,000 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 36 | $0.93 | $2.79 | |
| Ceiling fan | 100 | 15 | 330 | 2 | 33 | $0.12 | $2.56 | |
| Clothes dryer | 5,000 | 6 | 28 | 30 | 140 | $2.33 | $10.86 | |
| Clothes dryer off-peak rate |
5,000 |
6 |
28 |
30 |
140 |
$1.13 |
$5.25 |
|
| Clothes washer | 500 | 7 | 40 | 4 | 20 | $0.27 | $1.55 | |
| Coffeemaker | 1000 | 4 | 30 | 4 | 30 | $0.31 | $2.33 | |
| Computer with monitor and printer | 200 | 25 | 160 | 5 | 32 | $0.39 | $2.48 | |
| Dehumidifier | 350 | 120 | 720 | 42 | 252 | $3.26 | $19.56 | |
| Dishwasher | 1,800 | 8 | 40 | 14 | 72 | $1.12 | $5.59 | |
| Drill | 300 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | $0.07 | $0.16 | |
| DVD player | 40 | 50 | 200 | 2 | 8 | $0.16 | $0.62 | |
| Fan (portable) | 115 | 18 | 52 | 2 | 6 | $0.16 | $0.46 | |
| Freezer (15 cubic feet) | 335 | 180 | 420 | 60 | 141 | $4.68 | $10.92 | |
| (20 cubic feet - chest) | 350 | 180 | 420 | 63 | 147 | $4.89 | $11.41 | |
| Frying pan | 1,150 | 10 | 20 | 12 | 23 | $0.89 | $1.78 | |
| Furnace fan motor | ||||||||
| intermittent | 350 | 160 | 415 | 56 | 145 | $4.35 | $11.27 | |
| continuous | 350 | 720 | 720 | 252 | 252 | $19.56 | $19.56 | |
| Heat-recovery air exchanger | 125 | 300 | 720 | 38 | 90 | $2.91 | $6.98 | |
| Heater (portable) | 1,500 | 30 | 90 | 45 | 135 | $3.49 | $10.48 | |
| Hot tub | ||||||||
| 4-person, circulating pump | 1,500 | 30 | 45 | 45 | 68 | $3.49 | $5.24 | |
| 4-person, inside, 120-volt heater | 1,500 | 120 | 180 | 180 | 270 | $13.97 | $20.95 | |
| 4-person, outside, 120-volt heater | 1,500 | 90 | 540 | 135 | 810 | $10.48 | $62.86 | |
| 4-person, inside, 240-volt heater | 6,000 | 30 | 45 | 180 | 270 | $13.97 | $20.95 | |
| 4-person, outside, 240-volt heater | 6,000 | 90 | 135 | 540 | 810 | $41.90 | $62.86 | |
| Humidifier (portable) | 100 | 80 | 540 | 8 | 54 | $0.62 | $4.19 | |
| Lighting | ||||||||
| Incandescent (60w) | 60 | 17 | 200 | 1 | 12 | $0.08 | $0.93 | |
| Compact fluorescent (60w equivalent) | 18 | 17 | 200 | 0.3 | 4 | $0.02 | $0.28 | |
| Chandelier - 5 lamp | 300 | 10 | 183 | 3 | 55 | $0.23 | $4.26 | |
| Fluorescent (2 - 4-foot tubes) | 100 | 10 | 200 | 1 | 20 | $0.08 | $1.55 | |
| Microwave oven | 1,500 | 5 | 30 | 8 | 45 | $0.58 | $3.49 | |
| Power saw | 275 | 2 | 4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | $0.04 | $0.09 | |
| Range | ||||||||
| Oven | 3,500 | 10 | 50 | 35 | 175 | $2.72 | $13.58 | |
| Small element | 1,200 | 10 | 50 | 12 | 60 | $0.93 | $4.66 | |
| Large element | 2,300 | 10 | 50 | 23 | 115 | $1.78 | $8.92 | |
| Self-cleaning cycle only | 3,200 | 10 | 50 | 32 | 160 | $2.48 | $12.42 | |
| Refrigerator-freezer | ||||||||
| frost-free 16-18 cu. ft. | 400 | 150 | 300 | 60 | 120 | $4.66 | $9.31 | |
| not frost-free 10-15 cu. ft. | 300 | 190 | 300 | 57 | 90 | $4.42 | $6.98 | |
| side by side | 780 | 190 | 300 | 148 | 234 | $11.50 | $18.16 | |
| Sewing machine | 75 | 4 | 14 | 0.3 | 1 | $0.02 | $0.08 | |
| Television - color | ||||||||
| CRT 27" | 170 | 60 | 440 | 10 | 75 | $0.79 | $5.80 | |
| CRT 32" | 200 | 60 | 440 | 12 | 88 | $0.93 | $6.83 | |
| LCD 32" | 125 | 60 | 440 | 8 | 55 | $0.58 | $4.27 | |
| Plasma 42" | 280 | 60 | 440 | 17 | 123 | $1.30 | $9.56 | |
| Rear projection 42" to 50" | 300 | 60 | 440 | 18 | 132 | $1.49 | $10.93 | |
| TiVO | 30 | 720 | 720 | 22 | 22 | $1.68 | $1.68 | |
| Toaster oven | 1,250 | 2 | 24 | 3 | 30 | $0.19 | $2.33 | |
| Vacuum cleaner - portable | 800 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | $0.12 | $0.37 | |
| Vacuum cleaner - central | 1,600 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | $0.25 | $0.74 | |
| VCR | 40 | 50 | 200 | 2 | 8 | $0.16 | $0.62 | |
| Video game (X-box) | 100 | 15 | 75 | 2 | 8 | $0.12 | $0.58 | |
| Water heater on the off-peak water-heating rate of $.0555 | ||||||||
| typical family
of 4 off-peak rate |
4,500 | 90 | 138 | 405 | 621 | $22.48 | $34.47 | |
| typical family
of 2 off-peak rate |
4,500 | 66 | 92 | 297 | 414 | $16.48 | $22.98 | |
| Water heater on average off-peak rate of $0.03752 | ||||||||
| typical family
of 4 off-peak rate |
4,500 | 90 | 138 | 405 | 621 | $15.20 | $23.30 | |
| typical family
of 2 off-peak rate |
4,500 | 66 | 92 | 297 | 414 | $11.14 | $15.53 | |
