Electric appliance calculator

It's easy to determine the costs of running your appliances. You can use this tool to determine the approximate energy usage and cost of most major electric appliances. The electric appliance calculator is an estimate cost of appliances. Actual costs may vary between customers. For the most accurate estimate of your home, complete an energy audits.

Kitchen Usage Typical watts $ Monthly $ Yearly
Coffee maker
Dishwasher (3 loads/week, not incl. hot water)
Freezer (chest manual, 13 ft3)
Freezer (upright automatic, 16 ft3)
Microwave oven (in use)
Microwave oven (stand-by)
Oven (5.4 ft3)
Range/stovetop (9in element)
Refrigerator (frostfree, 16 ft3)
Toaster
Toaster oven
Electronics Usage Typical watts $ Monthly $ Yearly
Clock radio (in use)
Clock radio (plugged in)
Computer (awake)
Computer (asleep)
Laptop
DVD player
Radio (stereo)
Television (19")
Television (27")
Television (36")
Television (53"-61" projection)
Television (flat screen)
VCR (in use)
Video games - Playstation 3
Video games - xBox 360
Video games - Wii
Video games - GameCube
Heating and cooling Usage Typical watts $ Monthly $ Yearly
Ceiling fan
Central air conditioner
Dehumidifier
Heater (portable/space)
Room air conditioner
Water heater (52 gallon)
Window fan
Laundry Usage Typical watts $ Monthly $ Yearly
Clothes dryer
Clothes washer
Clothes iron
Miscellaneous Usage Typical watts $ Monthly $ Yearly
Aquarium
Electric blanket (single)
Electric blanket (double)
Hair dryer
Vacuum cleaner
Water pump (deep well)
Water bed (with heater, no cover)
Heat tape
Total    

Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours (abbreviated kWh). One kilowatt-hour is equal to the power used by ten 100-watt bulbs for one hour. The current urban charge for electricity from WPS is $0.13213 per kilowatt-hour. If you would like to change the rate used in the calculations above, enter a new rate below and click the "Update" button.

$ per kWh

Average home energy use

Knowing that your bill varies for a number of reasons helps you understand the "why" of increased energy use. But it doesn't give you the "how" of managing your costs. The chart to the right shows how we use energy in our homes. Managing your use of these items will have the greatest impact on your bill.

Additional information

Your local library can also be a great place to learn more about energy efficiency. Many local libraries have watt meters available to their patrons. A watt meter is a tool that measures the electric consumption of plug-in appliances. Simply plug the watt meter into a socket and then plug an appliance or lighting fixture into the watt meter. It is an easy way to determine how much electricity — and money — it requires to operate various appliances.