How to Compute the Electrical Cost of Appliances

By calculating the annual electrical cost of an appliance, you can determine how much a specific appliance costs to operate. To determine the annual energy cost, calculate the kilowatts per hour used by the appliance in a typical year and multiply by the cost of a kilowatt of energy.

Things You'll Need

• Electricity bill

Instructions

1. Find the wattage information on your appliance. This is listed on the sticker attached to new appliances or on the appliance's nameplate. To find the nameplate, look on the bottom or back of the appliance. For example, assume the wattage of a computer is 200 watts.

2. Estimate the number of hours a day you use the appliance. For example, assume you use a computer six hours a day.

3. Multiply the wattage figure from Step 1 by the estimated usage figure from Step 2. Continuing the same example, 200 x 6 = 1,200.

4. Multiply the figure from Step 3 by the estimated number of days a year you use the appliance. For example, assume you use the computer every day. 1,200 x 365 = 438,000.

5. Divide the figure from Step 4 by 1,000. Continuing the same example, 438,000 / 1000 = 438. This figure represents the estimated kilowatts per hour (kWh).

6. Review your electricity bill and determine the kWh charged by your electricity company. For example, assume your electricity company charges 10.5 cents per hour.

7. Multiply the kWh cost figure from Step 6 by the kWH estimate figure from Step 5. Continuing the same example, 0.105 x 438 = 45.89. This figure, in dollars, represents the estimated annual cost of using the appliance.

References

• Energy Savers: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use
• Michael Blue Jay: How much electricity does my stuff use?
• Glendale Water and Power: Cost of Running Common Electrical Appliances