How much does electricity cost? Find out before the bill arrives
You run the air conditioner all summer. Your computer is on 8 hours a day. The fridge runs 24/7. The question: how much does it all cost? No waiting for the bill, no math in your head, no digging through your meter settings.
Type the device wattage (from the sticker on the back) and how many hours per day it runs. The calculator shows the cost for different periods: per 1 hour, 4 hours, day, week, month and year. Plus consumption in kilowatt-hours (the unit on your electricity bill) and a CO₂ footprint if you care about that.
Pick a country: the calculator fills in a typical price and currency for you (US, UK, Germany, France, Poland and 11 more). You can override the price if you have a specific rate from your contract. Advanced mode lets you add multiple devices at once: to see exactly which one in your home eats the most power.
How to use it
- Pick a country from the list, the calculator fills in a typical price per kilowatt-hour (the unit you pay for on your bill) and the right currency. Override the price if you have a specific rate from your contract.
- Type the device wattage in watts (W). You will find it on the sticker on the back of the device or in the manual. Switch to kilowatts (kW) if needed, 1 kW = 1000 W.
- Type how many hours per day the device runs. For things that run non-stop (fridge, router, NAS) click 24/7.
- The result shows the cost and consumption for six periods: per hour, 4 hours, day, week, month (30 days) and year (365 days).
- Switch on advanced mode (toggle at the top) to add multiple devices at once. Each device gets its own card: power, hours, standby mode (the device pulls power even when "off").
- In advanced mode you also see the CO₂ footprint (kilograms of carbon dioxide) and a per-device breakdown: instantly clear which one costs the most.
- Click a device from the preset list (fridge, computer, AC unit...) so the calculator fills in typical values, you can tweak them after.
When this is useful
Six typical situations where the calculator gives you a concrete number instead of a vague feeling:
- Checking before buying new equipment. You are buying an air conditioner. The seller says "1,100 watts". You translate that into something concrete: the calculator shows that 6 hours a day for 3 summer months is a few hundred dollars. The decision lands on numbers, not on promises.
- Auditing a high electricity bill. The bill came in twice as large as usual. You enter all your devices in advanced mode and add them up. You see: your kid's new console running 6h a day plus the electric heater in the bathroom = exactly that difference.
- Deciding whether AC is worth it. Your apartment is hot, "$2,000 AC" deals are tempting. You check: 6 hours a day for 90 summer days × your electricity rate and you have the seasonal cost. Compare it to how much the heat actually bothers you. Sober decision.
- Planning a household budget. You are moving to a bigger place. You enter every device you are taking with you plus the new ones (dishwasher, dryer). The calculator shows the monthly electricity cost, easier to plan a budget before you sign the lease.
- Optimizing for solar panels. You have rooftop solar and you want to know which devices are worth running on a sunny day versus at night. Advanced mode shows each device separately, easier to match your daily routine to the sun.
- Checking whether "phantom load" really matters. Everyone says you should unplug your chargers. You check: TV plus console plus 3 chargers in standby = a few watts × 24h × 365 days. You see whether it is pennies or real money.
Related: pull current tariffs from the live electricity prices feed, size a PV + battery payback in the solar storage calculator, and check UPS / outage runtime in the UPS runtime calculator.