Appliance Running Cost Calculator
Pick an appliance from the list and get its running cost immediately. Or enter custom wattage and hours to find out what any device actually costs per month.
Last updated: May 2026
Select an appliance or enter wattage and hours to calculate running cost.
Monthly cost = (W / 1000) * hours/day * 30.44 * tariff
Why your fridge might be your biggest electricity cost
High-wattage appliances get the attention, but always-on devices quietly accumulate the largest bills. A refrigerator rated at 120 W sounds modest compared to a 2,000 W kettle. But the fridge runs 24 hours a day, every day. At €0.32/kWh, that's around €28 per month. The kettle, used for 6 minutes twice a day, costs under €1.
The preset wattage values here are typical measured draw values, not nameplate maximums. A washing machine rated at 2,200 W on its label may actually draw 2,000 W during a 60°C wash. For precise figures, use a smart plug with energy monitoring to measure your specific appliance.
Appliance running cost reference
Monthly cost at €0.32/kWh, 7 days/week, at the typical daily hours shown.
| Appliance | Typical wattage | Daily use | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator A++ | 120 W | 24 h | €28.00 |
| Refrigerator (older) | 200 W | 24 h | €46.27 |
| Gaming PC (high-end) | 500 W | 4 h | €19.48 |
| NAS / home server | 30 W | 24 h | €7.00 |
| LED TV 55-inch | 100 W | 5 h | €4.87 |
| Air fryer (2L) | 1500 W | 0.5 h | €7.31 |
| Laptop | 45 W | 8 h | €3.50 |
| Washing machine (60°C) | 2000 W | 1 h | €19.48 |
| EV charger (7.4 kW) | 7400 W | 2 h | €144.25 |
| Electric kettle | 2000 W | 0.1 h | €1.95 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my fridge the biggest electricity cost even though it's low wattage?
Running time is the multiplier that matters most. A refrigerator rated at 120 W draws power continuously: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That adds up to 1,051 kWh per year. Compare this to a 2,000 W kettle used for 6 minutes twice a day: it consumes just 146 kWh per year. The fridge uses 7 times more energy despite drawing far less power at any given moment. Always-on devices (fridges, NAS servers, routers, set-top boxes) are where the long-run electricity cost concentrates.
My gaming PC has a 650 W PSU. Does it really draw 650 W?
No. The PSU wattage is the maximum it can supply, not the actual draw. A system with a 650 W PSU typically draws 80-150 W at the Windows desktop, 300-500 W while gaming under heavy GPU load, and around 250-350 W during CPU-intensive tasks. The actual draw depends on the GPU and CPU workload, not the PSU rating. If you want to know real consumption, plug a smart energy monitor between the wall socket and the power strip; it will show live wattage and cumulative kWh.
What is the cheapest change I can make to lower my electricity bill?
Three high-impact, low-effort changes: (1) Switch remaining incandescent or halogen bulbs to LED. A 60 W incandescent replaced by an 8 W LED saves around 52 W per bulb, per hour. With 10 bulbs and 5 hours of daily use, that's a saving of roughly €30-40 per year. (2) Set your refrigerator thermostat to 4-5°C instead of 2°C; the compressor runs less and efficiency improves. (3) Air dry clothes instead of using a tumble dryer. A dryer running one cycle per day at 2,500 W for an hour costs around €24 per month. A drying rack costs nothing to run.
How do I measure my actual appliance wattage?
The most practical method for home use is a smart plug with energy monitoring, such as the TP-Link Kasa EP25 or Shelly Plug S, which shows live wattage and tracks cumulative kWh. Plug it in between the wall and the appliance. For permanently wired appliances (cooker, oven, EV charger) or whole-circuit measurement, a clamp meter clamped around the live wire will read current draw, and multiplying by voltage gives watts. Your smart meter's in-home display also shows total household draw in real time; switch appliances on and off one at a time to see their individual impact.
Next step in this workflow
Now add this appliance to your total household running cost.