Appliance Energy Cost Calculator - What Does It Cost to Run?

Enter an appliance's wattage and how often you use it to see its electricity use in kWh and its cost per day, month, and year. Free, instant, and everything runs in your browser.

Quick presets

Usage pattern

Cost per year

€39.45

Per day

€0.108

0.36 kWh

Per month

€3.29

11.0 kWh

Per year

€39.45

131 kWh

Appliance (typical use)WattskWh/yearCost/year
Desktop PC + monitor200438€131
Tumble dryer2200430€129
Fridge (average draw)45394€118
Washing machine900282€85
TV (LED, 55 inch)90131€39
Airfryer1500130€39
LED lamp815€4

Costs are an indication based on typical wattages and your price per kWh; check your appliance's label and your energy contract for exact figures.

How to Calculate What an Appliance Costs to Run

The math is simple: watts times hours gives watt-hours, divide by 1,000 for kilowatt-hours (kWh), and multiply by your electricity price. A 90-watt TV running 4 hours a day uses 0.36 kWh daily, about 131 kWh a year, which at € 0.30 per kWh costs roughly € 39 per year. The surprises come from two directions: high-wattage appliances used briefly (a 2,200 W dryer) and low-wattage devices that run constantly (a fridge, a router, standby electronics).

The presets use average continuous draw where that is more honest than the label rating. A fridge compressor may pull 150 W when running, but it cycles on and off, so the average draw of a modern fridge is closer to 40-50 W around the clock, roughly 400 kWh a year for an older model and under 150 kWh for a new A-rated one. A washing machine's consumption depends mostly on water temperature: a 30-degree cycle can use a third of the energy of a 60-degree cycle, because heating water is where the watts go.

The comparison table ranks the presets by yearly cost at your price per kWh, which makes it easy to spot where savings actually live. A tumble dryer used three times a week costs more per year than almost anything else in a typical home, so drying one load a week on a rack instead saves real money. Meanwhile an LED lamp at 8 W costs a few euros per year even at heavy use; replacing bulbs you rarely switch on saves almost nothing.

The default price of € 0.30 per kWh is a reasonable all-in European consumer rate in 2026, but rates vary a lot by country and contract, so enter your own tariff from your energy bill, including taxes and grid fees, for a realistic number. If you pay time-of-use rates, run the calculation twice with the peak and off-peak price to see what shifting a dryer or dishwasher to cheap hours is worth. For the bigger household picture, the Budget Planner on ToolForte helps put your total energy bill next to your other fixed costs.

How the Appliance Energy Cost Calculator Works

  1. 01Pick a preset (fridge, TV, washing machine, dryer, airfryer, PC, LED lamp) or enter your appliance's wattage.
  2. 02Choose a usage pattern: hours per day for always-on devices, or uses per week with minutes per use for cycle appliances.
  3. 03Set your electricity price per kWh (default 0.30) and toggle between EUR and USD.
  4. 04Read the cost per day, month, and year with the kWh usage, and compare all presets in the ranked table.

Watts, kWh, and Your Electricity Bill

Energy cost is wattage times hours divided by 1,000 (that gives kWh), times your price per kWh. A 2,200-watt tumble dryer running 75 minutes uses about 2.75 kWh per cycle, roughly 0.83 euros at 0.30 euros per kWh, so three loads a week costs about 130 euros a year. Always-on devices work the other way: a fridge only draws around 45 watts on average, but 24 hours a day makes it one of the bigger consumers in the house. Heating elements (dryers, washing machines, airfryers, kettles) dominate short-use costs; runtime dominates for electronics.

When to Use This Calculator

Use it when deciding whether an old appliance is worth replacing, comparing the running cost of an airfryer versus an oven, checking what a gaming PC costs per month, or estimating the impact of line-drying laundry instead of using the dryer. It is also handy for landlords and students splitting bills who want to know what a specific device adds.

Common Use Cases

Tips

  • Washing at 30 degrees instead of 60 cuts a wash cycle's energy by roughly two thirds: heating water is the expensive part.
  • Rank savings by yearly cost, not wattage: an 8 W LED lamp is never worth optimizing, a daily dryer habit is.
  • A plug-in energy meter (about 10-15 euros) gives exact figures for devices with variable draw like PCs and fridges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find my appliance's wattage?→
On the type plate or energy label, usually on the back or bottom of the device, or in the manual. Note that the label shows maximum power: a fridge labeled 150 W averages closer to 40-50 W because the compressor cycles, which is how the fridge preset is modeled.
Why is the default price 0.30 per kWh?→
It is a reasonable all-in European consumer rate in 2026 including taxes and grid fees, but rates differ per country and contract. Enter the exact tariff from your own energy bill; with time-of-use contracts, run the calculation at both the peak and off-peak rate.
Which household appliance costs the most to run?→
Per use, heating appliances win: a tumble dryer at 2,200 W costs around 0.80 euros per load at 0.30 per kWh. Per year, frequent-use heaters and always-on devices top the list; three dryer loads a week costs about 130 euros a year, more than a fridge or a TV.
How accurate are the presets?→
They are typical midpoints: real devices range widely (a 43-inch TV may draw 60 W where an old plasma drew 300 W). Use the presets for orientation and enter your own wattage from the label, or measure with a plug-in energy meter for exact numbers, especially for standby loads.
Does the calculator account for standby power?→
Not automatically. If you want to include it, run a second calculation with the standby wattage (often 0.5-5 W) at the remaining hours of the day and add the results. Modern EU devices are capped at 0.5 W standby, but older set-top boxes and consoles can draw 10 W or more.

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