Appliance Electricity Cost Calculator (by State)
Find the wattage on your appliance's label, pick your state, and see the cost. Prices are the average residential rate for July 2026 from the U.S. EIA.
How the calculator works
Electricity is billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh is 1,000 watts used for one hour. So:
cost = watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh
A 1,500-watt heater running for 8 hours uses 1,500 × 8 ÷ 1,000 = 12 kWh. At the U.S. average of 18.31¢/kWh that is about $2.20 for the day. The full walk-through is in our guide How to calculate what an appliance costs to run.
Getting a realistic answer
- Wattage on the label is usually the maximum. Many appliances cycle on and off (fridges, dehumidifiers, heaters with a thermostat), so real use is often lower than watts × hours. For those, a yearly kWh figure from ENERGY STAR or the yellow EnergyGuide label is more accurate than the wattage.
- Use your own rate if you can. The state figures are averages: total residential revenue divided by kWh sold. Your utility, plan, time-of-use pricing and fixed monthly charges can put your real rate above or below it. Divide the energy charges on your bill by the kWh used to get your number.
- Prices change by season. The state list uses July 2026 data, the latest EIA release. Winter prices can differ. We update the list when EIA publishes new monthly data.
Related
- Electricity prices by state (July 2026)
- What a space heater costs to run in every state
- Dehumidifier running-cost lookup (every ENERGY STAR model)
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: average price of electricity to residential customers by state, July 2026 (released September 24, 2026).