What does that appliance cost to run?
Estimate electricity usage from watts and time, then apply a price you know. Explore published residential averages for every state and see how that same usage compares across places and years.
What are you running?
Enter the appliance’s rated power and how long you use it. The example starts with a 1,500-watt heater for two hours a day.
Choose a price
For 90 kWh of use at 17.3¢/kWh.
(1,500 W ÷ 1,000) × 2 hours × 30 days × (17.3¢ ÷ 100)
Illustrative usage × price only. It does not calculate a utility bill, fixed fees, taxes, tiered rates, demand charges or seasonal changes.
The same usage. Different state averages.
EIA prices describe all residential electricity sales in an area for a full year. This comparison applies those averages to the same hypothetical appliance use.
California is $13.72 higher for this 30-day example.
United States over time.
Annual residential averages, cents per kWh. The highlighted bar is your selected year when it appears in this view.
See every annual value and missing observation
| Year | Price (¢/kWh) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 17.3 |
| 2024 | 16.48 |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2022 | 15.04 |
| 2021 | 13.66 |
| 2020 | 13.15 |
| 2019 | 13.01 |
| 2018 | 12.87 |
| 2017 | 12.89 |
| 2016 | 12.55 |
| 2015 | 12.65 |
EIA source snapshot retrieved 2026-09-29. Latest complete annual year in this snapshot: 2025. Published prices may be revised. The calculator runs in your browser; your entries are not sent to Public Atlas.
From watts to dollars.
1,500 W for two hours daily
At the published U.S. residential average of 17.30¢/kWh in 2025, running a 1,500 W appliance for two hours each day uses 3 kWh per day and 90 kWh over 30 days.
1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 2 hours/day × 30 days = 90 kWh. At 17.30¢ per kWh, the illustrative 30-day cost is $15.57. A 365-day estimate uses 365 days, rather than multiplying a 30-day period by twelve.
A heater’s thermostat, an air conditioner’s duty cycle or a device’s variable power draw can make real usage differ from its nameplate wattage. A plug-in meter or utility interval data gives a better input.
A state average is context, not your tariff.
EIA’s residential average price is an aggregate retail-sales measure for a state and year, reported in cents per kilowatt-hour. It is not the marginal price for your next kilowatt-hour, a current supplier offer or a prediction of your bill. Your plan can include time-of-use pricing, tiers, fixed charges, taxes and other terms. For personal estimates, switch to “My own rate” and use the relevant rate from your bill.
Annual values are EIA’s published annual series; Public Atlas does not average the monthly values to create them. We preserve a missing observation as missing instead of filling it. This snapshot includes 2015–2025; EIA can revise earlier data.
Explore EIA’s retail-sales price dataset ↗ · How EIA reports state electricity price data ↗ · Check source status →
Use the estimate with care.
How do I calculate an appliance’s electricity cost?
Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts, multiply by hours of use to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by the price per kWh. For a rate in cents, divide that rate by 100 before multiplying to get dollars. This tool shows every part of the calculation above.
Can I use the state average to forecast my utility bill?
It is useful for a broad comparison, but it is not your household’s rate. Enter your own tariff price for a closer usage estimate, then account separately for fixed charges, taxes, demand charges, time-of-use periods and changing appliance power draw.
Are the prices live?
No. They are dated annual EIA averages. The retrieval date is when Public Atlas fetched the snapshot; the selected year is the period represented by each price. Check the EIA source for revisions or newer releases.
Why is an older price blank?
EIA did not report a numeric value for that state and year in the retrieved series. We show “Not reported” rather than substituting zero or estimating a value.
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