Before actually crunching numbers, there are a few energy consumption basics you should know. These are the building blocks behind your energy bill and the information our kWh calculator provides.
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the standard unit of measurement for electricity usage. It represents the amount of energy it takes to run a 1,000-watt appliance for one hour. Utilities use kWh to compute your monthly electricity bill because it is a simple, consistent way to track what you’ve used. For example:
They both use the same amount of energy, but in different ways.
Here’s the simple way to think about it:
Put them together, and you get the total energy used, measured in kWh. A clothes dryer, for example, uses a lot of power but usually runs for less than an hour. A refrigerator uses significantly less power but runs continuously throughout the day.
Electricity isn’t always measured in kWh; different appliances and systems use different terms:
The unit changes, but it’s all describing the same thing: how much energy a device uses and how it impacts your electricity bill.
Every device in your home uses electricity differently. A kWh calculator helps you see how much energy each one needs, so you can better understand what makes up your monthly energy bill or find an electricity plan that fits your usage needs. Below are some common household appliances and their average energy usage.
Your HVAC system is usually the biggest energy draw in your home.
Because these systems run for long periods during summer and winter, they can create noticeable spikes on your bill. A kWh calculator helps you anticipate those seasonal jumps before they hit.
Smaller appliances that control humidity and air quality also add up over time:
Individually, these may not seem like much, but running them for hours every day makes their kWh impact noticeable.
Many large appliances are big energy users because of their wattage and frequent use. For example:
Electronics and smaller devices may not use as much power, but because they’re often left on, they can still add up:
Once you understand how much energy your appliances use, the next step is finding ways to use that energy more wisely. Small changes can add up to real savings on your bill.
You don’t have to be an energy expert to make improvements at home. A few practical steps can make a big difference:
To calculate a kWh, take the wattage of an appliance, multiply it by the number of hours it runs, and then divide by 1,000. For example, a 1,000-watt space heater running for 2 hours would use about 2 kWh. If you want to avoid doing the math by hand, use Power Wizard’s kWh calculator.
Whether 40 kWh per day is a lot depends on the size of the home and how many appliances are in use. The average Texas household uses about 1,109 kWh per month, which is about 36.5 kWh per day. The average apartment in Texas, however, uses about 500 to 750 kWh per month, or 16 to 25 kWh daily.
To calculate your electric bill per kWh, multiply your total kWh used by your electricity rate (shown on your bill in cents per kWh). For example, if you use 1,000 kWh in a month and your rate is 14¢ per kWh, the energy portion of your bill would be about $140 before fees and taxes.
1 kWh can typically:
These are estimates, but they give you an idea of what a single kWh can do.
