Ever wondered which appliance is eating your budget? This guide shows the typical wattage of common home appliances, how to compute their monthly kWh, and how much each one costs you, with a calculator that compares them side by side.
In this article
- The formula for any appliance
- Typical wattage of common appliances
- Appliance electricity cost per month calculator
- Which appliances cost the most?
- Aircon: the biggest bill driver
- Refrigerator: small but always on
- Small appliances add up too
- Quick tips to save
- Example: a typical household month
- What about standby power?
- How to measure an appliance’s real usage
The formula for any appliance
Monthly kWh = watts × hours per day × days ÷ 1,000
Monthly cost = monthly kWh × rate per kWh
You can find the wattage on the appliance’s label or nameplate, usually at the back or bottom. If it only lists amps, multiply by the voltage (for example, 1.5 A × 220 V ≈ 330 W).
Typical wattage of common appliances
| Appliance | Typical watts | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Aircon 1 HP (non-inverter) | 750–900 W | 8 hrs/day |
| Refrigerator, 2-door | ~1.0–1.5 kWh/day | 24 hrs |
| Electric fan | 40–70 W | 10 hrs/day |
| LED TV 43″ | 60–100 W | 6 hrs/day |
| Rice cooker | 500–700 W | 1 hr/day |
| Flat iron | 1,000–1,200 W | 2 hrs/week |
| Washing machine | 400–500 W | 3 hrs/week |
| Laptop | 45–65 W | 8 hrs/day |
| WiFi router | 8–12 W | 24 hrs |
| LED bulb | 7–12 W | 6 hrs/day |
Refrigerators and aircons cycle on and off, so their real use depends on room temperature, door openings and settings. These are averages; your appliance label is always the better source.
Appliance electricity cost per month calculator
Compare your appliances
Which appliances cost the most?
Appliances that make heat or cold use the most power: aircons, water heaters, flat irons, ovens and refrigerators. Devices with small motors or electronics, like fans, routers, phone chargers and LED lights, cost very little even when used all day.
That’s why a single 1 HP aircon used 8 hours a day can cost more than all your lights, fans and gadgets combined. If you want to cut your bill, start with the aircon and the ref.
Aircon: the biggest bill driver
A 1 HP non-inverter aircon at about 800 W used 8 hours a day uses roughly 192 kWh per month. At ₱13/kWh, that’s about ₱2,500. An inverter model in good condition often uses noticeably less for the same comfort, because it slows down instead of stopping and starting. Compare both in our inverter vs non-inverter guide.
Refrigerator: small but always on
A ref doesn’t use much power at any moment, but it runs 24/7. An efficient 2-door ref might use 1 kWh a day (30 kWh a month), while an old one with a worn door gasket can use double. Check the rubber seal: close the door on a piece of paper. If the paper slides out easily, the seal is leaking cold air.
Small appliances add up too
A WiFi router at 10 W running all month uses about 7 kWh, less than ₱100. A phone charger is even smaller. The real “hidden” costs come from standby power on many devices at once and from appliances left on with nobody using them.
Quick tips to save
- Set the aircon to 24–25°C and clean its filters every 2–4 weeks.
- Iron clothes in one batch instead of a few pieces every day.
- Don’t put hot food straight into the ref; let it cool first.
- Switch to LED bulbs and turn off lights in empty rooms.
- Unplug the rice cooker after cooking; “keep warm” uses power for hours.
Example: a typical household month
Let’s say a family of four uses a 1 HP aircon for 8 hours, a ref all day, two fans for 10 hours, a TV for 6 hours, a rice cooker for an hour, and five LED bulbs for 6 hours. Using typical wattages, that’s roughly:
| Appliance | kWh/month | Cost at ₱13 |
|---|---|---|
| Aircon 1 HP | 192 | ₱2,496 |
| Refrigerator | 36 | ₱468 |
| 2 electric fans | 33 | ₱429 |
| LED TV | 14 | ₱182 |
| Rice cooker | 20 | ₱260 |
| 5 LED bulbs | 8 | ₱104 |
| Total | 303 | ₱3,939 |
Notice how the aircon alone is over 60% of the total. Cutting just two aircon hours a day saves about 48 kWh, or over ₱600 a month at this rate.
What about standby power?
Many devices draw a small amount of power when switched “off” with the remote. One device on standby at 2 W uses about 1.4 kWh a month, which is tiny. But ten devices add up to 14 kWh, roughly the same as a TV used every day. Using a power strip with a switch makes it easy to cut them all at once.
How to measure an appliance’s real usage
Labels show the maximum or rated power, but real usage can be lower or higher. For the most accurate number, use a plug-in energy meter: plug it into the outlet, plug the appliance into it, and leave it for a full day. It shows the actual kWh used. This is especially useful for refrigerators and aircons, which cycle on and off. You can also use your main meter: turn everything off except one appliance, note the reading, run it for an hour, and read again.
Once you know the real kWh per day, multiply by 30 and by your rate. Compare appliances this way and you’ll know exactly where to focus your savings.