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Running costs
Cost calculator
Home appliance running costs

What does it cost to run your appliances?

Watts, hours and your own electricity rate, turned into a yearly figure. Every guide shows the arithmetic and states what it assumed.

A calculator and a notebook with handwritten cost columns beside a replacement pleated filter on a light wooden desk
Cost-per-use calculatorA sticker price says what an appliance costs to buy. Cost per use says what it costs to own. Put in a price and how often you expect to use it; the working is shown underneath.
Cost per use$0.23
72 guidesPublished on this site
Oct 4, 2026Most recent update
Free calculatorNo signup, no email
Stated assumptionsRate, watts and hours shown
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Guides to read first

Six guides that cover the ground the rest of the site builds on: bills, buying, running costs and upkeep.

Newest first

Latest guides

All 72 guides →
A pair of hands holding a printed utility bill with a small bar chart at the bottom, beside a calculator and pen on a wooden deskLatest
Home gear

Appliance Rebate Programs Explained

Appliance rebate programs explained: how utility, state, and federal rebates typically work, who funds each layer, and how to find what still applies now.

Sep 25, 2026·26 min read
A man leaning into an appliance showroom aisle to compare the yellow energy labels on a stainless steel refrigerator and a built-in ovenHome gear

Are ENERGY STAR Appliances Worth It?

Are ENERGY STAR appliances worth it? These notes run the premium against the payback by appliance type, so the sticker gap earns its keep or it doesn't.

Sep 25, 2026·25 min read
A hand pointing at a yellow energy information label stuck to the door of a stainless steel refrigerator in a blurred appliance showroomHome gear

ENERGY STAR Certification Explained

ENERGY STAR certification means an appliance model met a federal efficiency specification for its category, verified by lab testing, not a savings promise.

Sep 25, 2026·26 min read
A notepad, calculator, coffee cup and a square pleated filter arranged on a wooden deskHome gear

Federal Appliance Rebate Programs Explained

Federal appliance rebate programs are types of efficiency incentives states administer locally, not one nationwide check. Here is how they typically work.

Sep 25, 2026·25 min read
A round smart thermostat with a glowing blue circular touchscreen mounted on an interior wall, adjusted by a hand, with a blurred living room and window behind itHome gear

Does a Smart Thermostat Save Money? Real Numbers

A smart thermostat's realistic annual savings range, what setback scheduling and geofencing actually cut, and the homes where it never pays for itself.

Sep 18, 2026·26 min read
A three-cartridge under-sink filter housing with a red-handled shutoff valve, the same housing-and-valve design scaled up in a whole-house point-of-entry system when a cartridge is dueHome gear

Whole House Water Filter Replacement Cost

Whole house water filter replacement cost breaks down here: cartridge prices by stage, DIY versus hiring a plumber, and the real signs a swap is overdue.

Sep 16, 2026·26 min read
Three stainless steel refrigerators standing side by side on a tiled floor against a plain terracotta wall, one with a top freezer door and two with paired upper doors above a lower drawerHome gear

How Long Should a Refrigerator Run? Cycle Times

These notes set a normal refrigerator run time: duty cycle in minutes per hour, why a new fridge runs constantly at first, and when long cycles mean a fault.

Updated Sep 5, 2026·36 min read
A white window air conditioner fitted into the lower sash of a window in a pale blue room, with a side panel filling the gap, a curtain to the right and the arm of a cream armchair with a blue cushion in the foregroundHome gear

Why Is My Air Conditioner Not Cooling? 8 Fixes

Notes on an air conditioner that runs but will not cool: thermostat, breaker, filter, vents, outdoor unit and drain, plus where the technician line sits.

Updated Sep 5, 2026·40 min read
A stainless and black countertop microwave on a kitchen counter beside a wooden cutting board and a small bowlHome gear

Air Fryer vs Oven: Which Is Cheaper to Run?

Air fryer vs oven: the same tray priced twice, air fryer watts times minutes against an electric oven plus preheat, and the batch count where the oven wins.

Updated Sep 14, 2026·29 min read
How we work

How the numbers are worked out

Every figure here is arithmetic you can repeat yourself: wattage, hours of use, and your own rate per kilowatt-hour.

  • Where the numbers come fromWe start from an appliance's rated wattage or a typical figure for its class, apply the hours it actually runs, and price it at a stated rate per kilowatt-hour. These are calculations, not measurements of a specific unit.
  • Why the figures are illustrativeRates, runtimes and models vary, so worked examples are labelled as illustrative and name the price, wattage and rate they used. Change any input and the answer changes with it.
  • How we make moneyAt the time of writing this site carries no affiliate links and no advertising. No link earns a commission and no company pays for coverage. If that ever changes, the disclosure page will say so first and any paid link will be marked where it appears.
The defaults behind the figures

BenchNest covers the home appliances that quietly run up a power bill. The figures are calculated from wattage and hours, not measured, and each guide states the numbers it started from.

  • Wattage in, kilowatt-hours outRated or typical draw, multiplied by the hours the appliance actually runs.
  • Priced at your own rateExamples use a rate of $0.16 per kilowatt-hour unless a guide says otherwise. Yours is on your bill.
  • Assumptions written downHours, rate and any consumable cost appear next to the answer, so you can redo it.
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