Electricity Bill Estimator
Estimate your electricity costs by month, day, and year based on your usage and rate.
Last reviewed: June 2026Estimated Appliance Costs (Monthly)
| Appliance | Typical kWh/mo | Est. Cost/mo |
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How the Electricity Bill Estimator works
This calculator estimates a bill from two inputs: billing-period electricity use in kilowatt-hours and the rate you pay per kilowatt-hour. The core formula is estimated bill = kWh x rate. With the default 900 kWh at $0.16/kWh, the monthly estimate is $144.00. The daily result divides that monthly estimate by 30, and the annual result multiplies it by 12.
A kilowatt-hour is an energy unit, not a power rating. The U.S. Department of Energy explains the scale this way: a 100-watt light used for 10 hours consumes 1,000 watt-hours, or 1 kWh. That distinction matters because appliance labels show watts, while utility bills charge for kWh used over time.
Use your effective rate, not only the supply rate
Many bills split charges into supply, delivery, customer charges, taxes, riders, public-purpose fees, and other line items. If you want the closest budget estimate, calculate an effective rate: effective rate = total electric bill / billed kWh. If a $182 bill covers 1,050 kWh, the effective rate is $0.173/kWh, even if the energy-supply line alone is lower.
Time-of-use plans need extra care. A single rate cannot model a bill where afternoon kWh costs more than overnight kWh. For those plans, split your usage into on-peak, off-peak, and shoulder buckets, run the calculator for each bucket, and add the totals. Solar net-metering credits, demand charges, minimum bills, and budget-billing plans can also make the final bill differ from a simple kWh estimate.
Worked examples
Default household estimate: 900 kWh x $0.16/kWh = $144 per month. Annualized, that is 10,800 kWh and $1,728 per year. The benchmark comparison uses EIA's approximate average residential use of 10,500 kWh/year, converted to a monthly benchmark at the rate you enter.
Small apartment: 420 kWh at $0.18/kWh gives $75.60 for the month. If the actual bill is $98, the difference likely comes from fixed charges, delivery charges, or taxes. Divide $98 by 420 kWh and the effective rate is $0.233/kWh.
Summer cooling spike: A home that normally uses 700 kWh may jump to 1,300 kWh during a hot month. At $0.16/kWh, that raises the simple energy estimate from $112 to $208 before fixed charges. Pair this page with the HVAC BTU Calculator and Energy Cost Calculator when evaluating room AC or heat-pump runtime.
What this calculator does not include
- Demand charges: some commercial and a few residential tariffs charge for peak kW demand, not just kWh.
- Tiered rates: a utility may charge a lower price for the first block of kWh and a higher price after that.
- Fuel adjustment riders: pass-through charges can change without the base rate changing.
- Solar credits: exported solar may offset energy, delivery, or only selected bill components depending on the tariff.
- Budget billing: equal-payment plans smooth bills over time and may not match the current month's actual usage.