Heating & cooling: electricity cost calculators
The biggest loads in almost every home — AC, heaters, fans and pumps. Every calculator below starts from a realistic wattage and runtime preset and uses your state's average residential electricity price (May 2026 EIA data) — or the exact rate from your bill.
Most expensive to run
Typical monthly cost while in use, at the U.S. average price of 18.44¢/kWh.
| Appliance | Preset | Per month in use |
|---|---|---|
| Central air conditioner | ~3,500 W · 8h/day | $157 |
| Central heat pump | ~3,000 W · 6h/day | $101 |
| Electric baseboard heater | ~1,500 W · 8h/day | $67 |
| Space heater | ~1,500 W · 6h/day | $51 |
| Infrared heater | ~1,500 W · 6h/day | $51 |
All 16 calculators
Central air conditioner The biggest single line on most summer power bills.
~3,500 W · 8h/day →
Window air conditioner Cheap to buy; the running cost depends on runtime.
~900 W · 8h/day →
Portable air conditioner Convenient, but the least efficient way to cool a room.
~1,100 W · 8h/day →
Ductless mini-split Inverter compressors sip power once the room is at temperature.
~800 W · 8h/day →
Central heat pump Heats and cools — usually the cheapest electric heat available.
~3,000 W · 6h/day →
Space heater 1,500 watts adds up faster than most people expect.
~1,500 W · 6h/day →
Electric baseboard heater Simple, silent, and one of the priciest ways to heat.
~1,500 W · 8h/day →
Infrared heater Feels warmer instantly — costs the same per watt as any heater.
~1,500 W · 6h/day →
Oil-filled radiator Steady, quiet heat — same cost per watt as any electric heater.
~1,200 W · 7h/day →
Furnace blower fan The hidden electric cost of a gas furnace.
~500 W · 6h/day →
Ceiling fan Pennies a day — and it lets you raise the AC setpoint.
~60 W · 8h/day →
Whole-house fan A fraction of AC cost when evenings are cool.
~400 W · 3h/day →
Attic fan Cools the attic — the bill impact is modest either way.
~300 W · 6h/day →
Humidifier Evaporative units are cheap; steam units are not.
~40 W · 10h/day →
Electric fireplace The flame effect is cheap — the heater element is not.
~1,400 W · 4h/day →
Dehumidifier Basement units quietly run long hours all summer.
~500 W · 10h/day →
Other categories
How these estimates work
Cost = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × price per kWh. Prices are average residential prices by state from the EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (May 2026), refreshed automatically each month. EIA averages include delivery and taxes but are not any specific utility tariff.