What does it actually cost to run?
Pick an appliance, pick your state, and get a real number — calculated from published wattage data and the current EIA rate where you live, not a national average someone rounded off in 2019.
- 51 statesEvery state and DC, at the rate the EIA published this month.
- 54 appliancesModelled with real duty cycles, not just nameplate watts.
- 18.44¢The current US average. Most cost guides online are still using 15¢.
- Per month
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- Per day used
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- kWh / year
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What actually runs up your bill
Nearly every list of "energy vampires" leads with phone chargers and standby lights. Here is the real ranking for a typical US home, in kilowatt-hours a year at 18.44¢/kWh.
Costed in depth
Each guide leads with the number you came for, shows the working, and then covers the part everyone else gets wrong.
a Space Heater
A 1,500 W space heater costs about 28¢ an hour to run at the US average electricity rate. See the cost per day, month and season in your state.
$186typical per yearan Air Conditioner
Central AC costs about 42¢ an hour to run at the US average rate; a window unit about 12¢. Compare all three types and get the cost in your state.
$403typical per yeara Hot Tub Cost to Run
A typical hot tub costs $40–$60 a month in electricity at the US average rate. See what drives the number and how cover condition changes it.
$565typical per yeara Pool Pump Cost to Run
A single-speed pool pump costs about $478 a season at the US average rate. A variable-speed pump does the same job for around $179. Here's the maths.
$478typical per yearan Electric Water Heater Cost to Run
An electric tank water heater costs about $61 a month at the US average rate. Compare tank, tankless and heat pump models with real numbers.
$727typical per yeara Clothes Dryer
An electric dryer costs about 50¢ per load and $104 a year at the US average rate. Compare vented, heat pump and line drying.
$104typical per yeara Dehumidifier
A 50-pint dehumidifier costs about 66¢ a day and $20 a month to run at the US average rate. See costs by size and by state.
$99.6typical per yeara Refrigerator Cost to Run
A modern fridge costs about $8 a month to run. A pre-2001 model costs three times that — often more per year than a new one costs to buy.
$97.0typical per yeara Gaming PC
A gaming PC costs about 8¢ an hour under load and $121 a year at four hours a day. Compare against consoles, laptops and office desktops.
$121typical per yearIt Cost to Charge an Electric Car at Home
Charging an EV at home costs about 5.5¢ a mile and $664 a year for 12,000 miles — roughly half the fuel cost of a 30 mpg gas car.
$664typical per yearWhere you live decides most of it
Residential electricity costs 12.35¢/kWh in Idaho and 52.00¢/kWh in Hawaii — a 4.2× spread. The same appliance, used identically, can cost four times as much one state over.