Electricity Cost Calculator (USA)
Estimate your monthly and annual electricity bill by appliance. Supports flat, tiered and time-of-use rate plans, delivery charges, taxes, solar offset and a side-by-side plan comparison.
| # | Appliance | kWh/mo | Share | Cost/mo | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculate to see breakdown | |||||
How to Use the Electricity Cost Calculator
Estimate your full electricity bill — energy, delivery, fixed fees, taxes, solar offset, and a 10-year outlook — in four steps.
Enter your usage
Build your usage appliance by appliance — watts, hours per day, days per month — plus an always-on base load. Or switch to total mode and type the kWh straight off your bill.
Pick your rate plan
Choose flat, tiered, or time-of-use, then enter your rates. For tiered plans set the tier limits; for time-of-use set peak and off-peak prices and your share of peak usage.
Add charges & comparisons
Set your fixed monthly charge, delivery rate, taxes, and any solar offset. Add an annual rate increase and a compare-plan rate to test alternatives, plus a grid emissions factor.
Read your result & save it
See your monthly and annual bill, effective rate, cost per day, plan savings, CO₂ footprint, and appliance-by-appliance breakdown. Then download the branded PDF report.
What’s Included
More than a rate times kWh — a full picture of what you pay, why, and what it looks like over time.
Monthly & annual bill
A realistic estimate of your total bill — energy, delivery, fixed fees, and taxes combined — with your effective all-in rate and cost per day.
Three rate structures
Model flat, tiered, or time-of-use plans exactly as your utility bills them — including tier limits, peak and off-peak pricing, and your peak-usage share.
Appliance-by-appliance breakdown
See which appliances drive your bill, ranked by kWh, with each one’s share, monthly cost, and yearly cost — and your single largest usage driver flagged.
Plan comparison
Enter an alternative supplier rate and see the monthly and annual difference instantly — so you know whether switching plans is worth it before you sign.
Solar offset & CO₂ footprint
Subtract net-metered solar from your usage and see your carbon footprint per month and year using an editable grid emissions factor.
10-year projection & PDF
Project costs a decade out with an annual rate-increase assumption, view it as a chart, then download a branded two-page report with the full schedule.
By the Numbers
A quick snapshot of what this calculator covers under the hood.
flat · tiered · TOU
per kWh, editable
with rate escalation
grid average, editable
no sign-up needed
Built for Your Bill
Whether you’re tracking usage, shopping for a better plan, or sizing up solar, the calculator meets you where you are.
Homeowners & renters watching the bill
Want to know where your money goes? See exactly which appliances drive your bill and what your all-in effective rate really is — then target the biggest offenders.
Plan & supplier switchers
Shopping for a better rate? Drop in a competing plan’s price and see the monthly and annual difference before you commit — no spreadsheet required.
Solar & efficiency planners
Sizing up solar or upgrades? Model a net-metered offset, watch the 10-year projection move, and check your carbon footprint alongside the dollars.
Cut Your Bill
Seven habits that lower what you pay for power — without sitting in the dark.
- 1Judge the effective rate, not the headline. After delivery, fixed fees, and taxes, your true cost per kWh is higher than the plan’s advertised energy rate. Compare plans on the all-in number.
- 2Attack your biggest drivers first. Heating, cooling, and water heating usually dominate. The appliance breakdown ranks them — a small efficiency win there beats a big one on a minor load.
- 3Shift loads off-peak on time-of-use plans. Running the dishwasher, laundry, or EV charging in cheaper off-peak windows can cut those costs sharply without using less power.
- 4Compare suppliers before you renew. Rates change and default plans are rarely the cheapest. Plug a competing rate into the comparison field to see the yearly difference.
- 5Kill phantom base load. Idle electronics, chargers, and standby devices draw power around the clock. Trimming your always-on base load lowers every single bill.
- 6Factor in rate increases. Prices have historically climbed a few percent a year. Use the 10-year projection when weighing upgrades or solar so today’s savings compound.
- 7Model solar before you buy. Enter a realistic monthly offset and watch the net bill and projection change — then compare that saving against installation cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about estimating and lowering your electricity bill.
How much does electricity cost per kWh in the United States?
Residential rates average roughly $0.16–$0.18 per kWh nationally, but they vary widely by state, utility, and season. Your all-in effective rate — after delivery charges, the fixed service charge, and taxes — is usually higher than the headline energy rate on your plan. The calculator shows both the energy rate you enter and the effective rate once every charge is included, so you can see what you actually pay per kWh.
How does the calculator estimate my monthly electricity bill?
Two ways. In appliance mode it multiplies each appliance’s wattage by hours per day and days per month to get kWh, adds your always-on base load, then applies your rate plan. In total mode it uses the kWh figure straight from your bill. Either way it adds the delivery charge, the fixed service charge, and taxes, subtracts any solar offset, and returns your monthly total, annual total, cost per day, and effective rate.
What is the difference between flat, tiered, and time-of-use rates?
A flat rate charges the same price for every kWh you use. A tiered rate charges more as you use more — the first block of kWh is cheaper and later blocks cost more. A time-of-use rate charges by when you use power, with expensive peak hours (usually weekday late afternoons and early evenings) and cheaper off-peak hours. The calculator models all three, so you can enter your plan exactly and compare structures side by side.
What are delivery charges and fixed service charges?
Your bill is more than just energy. The delivery charge — sometimes called transmission or distribution — is a per-kWh fee for moving power over the grid to your home. The fixed service charge, also called a customer or meter charge, is a flat monthly fee you pay even at zero usage. Both are separate from the energy rate, and the calculator includes both so your estimate reflects the whole bill, not just the energy line.
How does the solar or net-metering offset work?
Enter the number of kWh your solar system sends back to the grid or offsets each month, and the calculator subtracts it from your gross usage before billing. That reduces your energy and delivery charges, but not the fixed service charge, which you pay regardless of how little you draw. Enter 0 if you don’t have solar. The result shows your gross usage, the offset, and the net billed usage separately.
How can I lower my electricity bill?
Start with your biggest usage drivers — the calculator ranks appliances so you can see them at a glance. Heating, cooling, and water heating usually dominate. From there: shrink your always-on base load by unplugging idle electronics and chargers, shift flexible loads to off-peak hours if you’re on a time-of-use plan, compare supplier rates using the comparison field, and weigh efficiency upgrades or solar for long-term savings against the 10-year projection.