Appliance running cost
Estimate annual appliance costs using power, usage and your electricity tariff.
Start with your own tariff, or apply an official EU country reference price. Every other value is an example you can edit.
Estimated annual cost
€131.04
€10.92 per month
374.4 kWh/year
Source: your inputs or example values · Data as of: not applicable to values you enter. Prices change — check your current tariff.
MethodologyEstimates only. Actual costs depend on your tariff, usage and installation. Not financial advice.
How the running cost is calculated
Energy per year = power in watts ÷ 1000 × hours per use × uses per week × 52. Cost = energy × your tariff, and the monthly figure is the annual cost divided by twelve.
Which power and usage figures to enter
The rating plate gives the maximum an appliance can draw, not what it draws on average. Appliances that heat, spin or compress switch on and off in cycles, so a plug-in energy monitor gives a more realistic average. For something that runs continuously, enter the hours it genuinely works rather than the hours it stays plugged in.
What the running cost leaves out
Standby draw, water heating from another fuel, filters and maintenance, and any tariff that varies by time of day. If your price changes across the day, enter the rate that applies to the hours you actually run the appliance.
Questions this result raises
Should I use the wattage on the rating plate?
It is a safe upper starting point, but it is the maximum. A dishwasher, oven or tumble dryer reaches its rated power only during heating phases, so the plate figure usually overstates the energy used.
How do I turn a habit into uses per week?
Multiply how often you use it in a day by the days per week. Daily use is 7; every other day is around 3.5.
Why can a powerful appliance cost less than a weak one?
You pay for energy, and energy is power multiplied by time. A 2,000 W kettle boiling for three minutes uses less electricity than a 200 W appliance running for an hour.
Is standby power included?
No. The calculation covers the hours you enter as running time, so a device left on standby is not counted unless you enter its standby hours and standby power as a separate calculation.
What if my tariff has peak and off-peak prices?
This calculator applies a single price per kWh. Enter the rate that applies to the hours you run the appliance, or run the calculation twice, once for each rate.