Unless you have some fancy equipment monitoring every electrical connection in your house, you likely have no idea what the energy usage is of individual appliances. Your monthly bill shows you your overall usage, but that’s it. However, you can get a general idea of how much electricity your appliances use by looking at overall averages, calculating your usage, and, in some cases, using a nifty electricity monitor called the Kill A Watt if you want to do your own investigating.
Before we get started, it’s important to first check whether your appliances run off of electricity or natural gas (in some houses there’s also propane or oil for heating, but for the vast majority of residences, you’ll have electric and gas connections).
The cost of electricity varies depending on where you live and who your electric company is. You can usually find out the rate you pay for electricity by looking at your electric bill, going to the electric company’s website, or calling them up and asking.
Your large home appliances are some of the most energy-hogging devices in your house, so it’s always a good idea to know how much they’re costing you.
Keep in mind that the cost largely depends on the age of the appliance (newer usually means more energy efficient), how much you use it, and how high or low your electricity rate is in your area—the cost of running your refrigerator may be much higher or lower than someone else, for instance.
With that said, below is a quick breakdown of some common household appliances and the average cost of operation per month, based on a $0.11/kWh rate and typical usage around the house.
- Refrigerator: $5.61 per month (depending on age of appliance)
- Microwave: $0.35 per month (based on 5 min. per day)
- Oven & Stove: $5.85 per month (based on one hour of mixed use per day)
- Dishwasher: $5.24 per month (based on one load per day)
- Clothes Washer & Dryer: $18.30 per month (based on one load per day)
- Central Heating/Cooling: $49.50 per month (based on 150 hours of runtime per month)
- Water Heater: $48 per month
