120 appliances

Running cost of every appliance in the house

Ranked by what they cost a year at the US average rate of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour. Every figure uses the appliance's real duty cycle — the share of its running time it is actually drawing power — which is the step that nameplate arithmetic skips.

Ranked by annual cost

The top of this list is where a bill is won or lost. The bottom exists to show that a high wattage on a label is not the same as a high number on a bill — a hair dryer is rated higher than a refrigerator and costs a fifth as much.

Crypto mining rig26,280 kWh a year$4,820
Electric furnace9,012 kWh a year$1,653
EV charging (Level 1 wall socket)3,747 kWh a year$687
EV charging (Level 2 home)3,541 kWh a year$649
Hot tub3,285 kWh a year$602
Pool heat pump3,139 kWh a year$576
Electric water heater2,720 kWh a year$499
Heat pump (heating)2,307 kWh a year$423
Central air conditioner2,295 kWh a year$421
Pool pump2,160 kWh a year$396
Oxygen concentrator2,044 kWh a year$375
Grow light1,755 kWh a year$322
Standalone ice maker1,380 kWh a year$253
Koi pond pump1,314 kWh a year$241
Wine cellar cooling unit1,301 kWh a year$239
Dehumidifier1,244 kWh a year$228
Electric baseboard heater1,188 kWh a year$218
Heated towel rail1,051 kWh a year$193

Heating and cooling

The largest single line on most electric bills, and the one where the nameplate number misleads most.

Kitchen

Always-on cold appliances plus short, very high-wattage bursts.

Laundry

Heat, not motion, is what costs money here.

Water heating and pumps

Second-largest end use in a typical all-electric home.

  • Hot tub

    $602 a year

    A 400-gallon tub held at 102F year round, well covered.

  • Pool heat pump

    $576 a year

    Holding a residential pool at swimming temperature through an extended season.

  • Electric water heater

    $499 a year

    A 50-gallon tank serving a household of three to four.

  • Pool pump

    $396 a year

    A single-speed pump on an eight-hour timer through the season.

  • Koi pond pump

    $241 a year

    A pump circulating a mid-size koi pond through its filter, year round.

  • Heat pump water heater

    $177 a year

    A 50-gallon hybrid in a basement, resistance backup rarely engaged.

  • Septic aerator pump

    $112 a year

    An aerobic septic system running as intended.

  • Aquarium

    $84 a year

    A 55-gallon tropical tank with heater, filter and LED lighting.

  • Well pump

    $80 a year

    A household of four on a 1/2 HP submersible pump.

  • Hot water recirculation pump

    $72 a year

    A continuously running pump on an untimed loop.

  • Pool salt chlorinator

    $44 a year

    A residential cell running alongside an eight-hour pump schedule.

  • Garden fountain pump

    $21 a year

    A decorative fountain running through daylight hours in the warm half of the year.

  • Robotic pool cleaner

    $9.95 a year

    A two-and-a-half-hour cycle, most days through the season.

  • Water softener

    $6.31 a year

    A metered softener regenerating roughly twice a week.

Electronics and computing

Individually small, collectively the ‘other' slice that no one can account for.

  • Gaming PC

    $111 a year

    Four hours of gaming a day on a mid-to-high-end build.

  • UPS battery backup

    $40 a year

    A mid-size unit protecting a computer or a network rack.

  • Games console

    $39 a year

    Three hours of play a day.

  • Desktop computer

    $38 a year

    A working day, five days a week.

  • OLED television

    $38 a year

    A 65-inch OLED, five hours a day, mixed content.

  • LED television

    $31 a year

    A 55-inch 4K set, five hours a day, out-of-the-box brightness.

  • AV receiver

    $30 a year

    A 7.2-channel receiver at normal listening levels.

  • Projector

    $26 a year

    A couple of films a week on a lamp-based home projector.

  • Laptop

    $23 a year

    A working day.

  • Wi-Fi router and modem

    $19 a year

    Router plus modem, running continuously.

  • Computer monitor

    $11 a year

    One 27-inch display through a working day.

  • Laser printer

    $9.87 a year

    A small office printer, a few pages most working days.

Lighting

The end use that shrank the most in fifteen years.

EV charging

Usually cheaper than the pump, and easy to compute exactly.

Tools, hobbies and outdoors

Where a surprising bill increase usually turns out to live.

The whole list, with the arithmetic visible

Rated power is what the plate says. Real average is the draw averaged across the hours the appliance is in service, after its duty cycle is applied. The last column is how far nameplate × hours — the method almost every published figure uses — misses.

All 120 appliances at the US average residential rate of 18.34¢/kWh, June 2026. A dash in the last column means the appliance does not cycle, so both methods agree.
ApplianceRatedReal averageHours/dayDays/yrA yearCostNaive method
Crypto mining rig3,000 W3000 W2436526,280 kWh$4,820
Electric furnace15,000 W3755 W161509,012 kWh$1,6534× high
EV charging (Level 1 wall socket)1,400 W1403 W8.93003,747 kWh$687
EV charging (Level 2 home)7,200 W7241 W1.633003,541 kWh$649
Hot tub1,500 W375 W243653,285 kWh$6024× high
Pool heat pump5,000 W3270 W81203,139 kWh$5761.5× high
Electric water heater4,500 W311 W243652,720 kWh$49914.5× high
Heat pump (heating)1,800 W999 W141652,307 kWh$4231.8× high
Central air conditioner3,500 W2125 W91202,295 kWh$4211.6× high
Pool pump1,500 W1500 W81802,160 kWh$396
Oxygen concentrator350 W350 W163652,044 kWh$375
Grow light300 W301 W163651,755 kWh$322
Standalone ice maker350 W158 W243651,380 kWh$2532.2× high
Koi pond pump150 W150 W243651,314 kWh$241
Wine cellar cooling unit450 W149 W243651,301 kWh$2393× high
Dehumidifier480 W288 W241801,244 kWh$2281.7× high
Electric baseboard heater1,000 W400 W181651,188 kWh$2182.5× high
Heated towel rail120 W120 W243651,051 kWh$193
Pottery kiln8,000 W4800 W9241,037 kWh$1901.7× high
Furnace blower / air handler500 W516 W82501,032 kWh$189
Space heater1,500 W827 W8150992 kWh$1821.8× high
Heat pump water heater550 W110 W24365964 kWh$1775× high
Waterbed heater300 W105 W24365920 kWh$1692.9× high
Oil-filled radiator1,500 W675 W8150810 kWh$1492.2× high
Portable air conditioner1,100 W771 W10100771 kWh$1411.4× high
Infrared heater1,500 W903 W6140759 kWh$1391.7× high
Golf cart charger950 W969 W5150727 kWh$133
Garage refrigerator180 W81 W24365710 kWh$1302.2× high
Electric clothes dryer3,000 W2273 W1300682 kWh$1251.3× high
Electric underfloor heating1,200 W423 W10160676 kWh$1242.8× high
Septic aerator pump70 W70 W24365613 kWh$112
Gaming PC400 W415 W4365606 kWh$111
Engine block heater600 W600 W10100600 kWh$110
Window air conditioner900 W541 W10110596 kWh$1091.7× high
Mini split (cooling)900 W461 W10120553 kWh$1022× high
Electric fireplace1,500 W758 W5140530 kWh$972× high
Home server or NAS60 W60 W24365526 kWh$96
Radon mitigation fan60 W60 W24365526 kWh$96
Electric sauna heater6,000 W3330 W1.5100500 kWh$921.8× high
Aquarium150 W53 W24365460 kWh$842.9× high
Evaporative cooler500 W500 W1090450 kWh$83
Well pump1,000 W1000 W1.2365438 kWh$80
Refrigerator150 W48 W24365420 kWh$773.1× high
Heat pump clothes dryer900 W824 W1.6300396 kWh$73
Hot water recirculation pump45 W45 W24365394 kWh$72
Air purifier45 W45 W24365394 kWh$72
Kegerator95 W40 W24365350 kWh$642.4× high
Chest freezer130 W39 W24365342 kWh$633.3× high
Electric oven3,000 W1119 W1300336 kWh$622.7× high
Water cooler / dispenser100 W35 W24365307 kWh$562.9× high
Wine fridge85 W34 W24365298 kWh$552.5× high
Reptile heat lamp100 W65 W12365285 kWh$521.5× high
Mini fridge75 W30 W24365263 kWh$482.5× high
Dishwasher1,200 W407 W2300244 kWh$452.9× high
Pool salt chlorinator160 W166 W8180239 kWh$44
Electric cooktop2,000 W931 W0.75330230 kWh$422.1× high
UPS battery backup25 W25 W24365219 kWh$40
Espresso machine1,300 W293 W2365214 kWh$394.4× high
Games console180 W194 W3365212 kWh$39
Desktop computer100 W104 W8250208 kWh$38
OLED television110 W114 W5365208 kWh$38
LED television90 W94 W5365171 kWh$31
AV receiver130 W151 W3365165 kWh$30
Whole house fan400 W400 W4100160 kWh$29
Projector280 W289 W2.5200144 kWh$26
Toaster oven1,400 W957 W0.5300144 kWh$261.5× high
Microwave oven1,200 W1485 W0.25365136 kWh$25
Treadmill700 W855 W0.75200128 kWh$24
CPAP machine45 W50 W7365127 kWh$23
Laptop50 W52 W8300125 kWh$23
Garden fountain pump45 W45 W12210113 kWh$21
Incandescent bulb60 W60 W5365110 kWh$20
Wi-Fi router and modem12 W12 W24365105 kWh$19
Coffee maker1,000 W958 W0.3365105 kWh$19
Tanning bed4,500 W5095 W0.2100102 kWh$19
Hair dryer1,600 W1600 W0.1736599 kWh$18
Food dehydrator550 W330 W103099 kWh$181.7× high
Washing machine500 W323 W130097 kWh$181.5× high
Air fryer1,500 W959 W0.425096 kWh$181.6× high
Welder5,000 W1165 W24093 kWh$174.3× high
Sump pump800 W894 W0.520089 kWh$16
Air compressor1,900 W475 W36086 kWh$164× high
Electric kettle1,500 W1500 W0.1536582 kWh$15
E-scooter charger90 W93 W420074 kWh$14
E-bike charger110 W113 W415068 kWh$12
Box or pedestal fan55 W55 W815066 kWh$12
Central vacuum system1,500 W1618 W0.410065 kWh$12
3D printer120 W69 W615062 kWh$111.7× high
Computer monitor30 W31 W825062 kWh$11
Slow cooker200 W120 W86058 kWh$111.7× high
Range hood150 W173 W133057 kWh$10
Rice cooker650 W283 W120057 kWh$102.3× high
Electric smoker800 W402 W72056 kWh$102× high
Humidifier40 W24 W1614055 kWh$101.6× high
Robotic pool cleaner180 W197 W2.511054 kWh$9.95
Laser printer600 W1794 W0.1225054 kWh$9.87
Ceiling fan35 W37 W818053 kWh$9.77
Bread maker550 W171 W3.58048 kWh$8.773.2× high
Table saw1,800 W450 W25045 kWh$8.254× high
Security camera5 W5 W2436544 kWh$8.03
Electric pressure cooker1,000 W381 W0.7515043 kWh$7.862.6× high
Electric blanket100 W35 W815042 kWh$7.702.9× high
Egg incubator60 W27 W246341 kWh$7.492.2× high
Garage door opener550 W5346 W0.0236539 kWh$7.16
Massage chair200 W388 W0.520039 kWh$7.12
Battery trickle charger25 W9 W2418038 kWh$6.932.9× high
Irrigation controller4 W4 W2436535 kWh$6.43
Robot vacuum40 W97 W1.230035 kWh$6.40
Water softener40 W157 W0.636534 kWh$6.31
Sous vide circulator900 W140 W46034 kWh$6.166.4× high
Vacuum cleaner900 W900 W0.310027 kWh$4.95
Electric lawn mower1,400 W1190 W0.752825 kWh$4.581.2× high
Clothes iron1,300 W520 W0.58021 kWh$3.812.5× high
Electric snow blower1,800 W1620 W11219 kWh$3.57
Bathroom exhaust fan35 W35 W1.536519 kWh$3.51
Pressure washer1,700 W1190 W1.51018 kWh$3.271.4× high
LED light bulb9 W9 W536516 kWh$3.01
Electric leaf blower1,100 W1100 W0.52514 kWh$2.52
Garbage disposal600 W600 W0.0536511 kWh$2.01
Hair straightener150 W75 W0.253005.6 kWh$1.032× high

How to read these figures

Each row is a typical unit under a stated operating assumption, not a measurement of your appliance. The assumption is written on every appliance’s own page, and the sliders there exist because yours will differ — the duty cycle is a property of the machine, but the hours are a property of you.

Where an appliance carries a regulated annual figure — an FTC EnergyGuide label, an ENERGY STAR specification, or an EIA survey mean — the inputs here are set so the computed total falls inside that published range, and the build fails if it does not. Seven appliances are pinned that way; the calibration table lists every one.

The figures use the US average rate. Electricity costs 4× more in the most expensive state than the cheapest, so pick your own from the selector on any appliance page — or start from the rate table.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, June 2026. U.S. Government work, public domain.