Electricity usage calculator
- wattshoursdays44.6 kWh a month
- wattshoursdays13.5 kWh a month
- wattshoursdays15.0 kWh a month
- wattshoursdays108.0 kWh a month
Use the price from your bill if you know it.
Your devices, per month
Only the devices you list are counted. Whole-home use also includes heating, cooling and everything left off the list, so the share can be well under 100 percent.
How the total is built
- Pick a device. The calculator fills in a typical wattage and a typical number of hours.
- Change the watts or hours to match your home. Use the label on the device, or a plug-in watt meter.
- Set how many of that device you own and how many days a month you use it.
- Add your price per kWh, or choose your state to start from its average.
Each row is kilowatts times hours times days times quantity. The total is the sum of the rows. The calculator compares it with the average home in the state you choose, or with the US average if you choose none.
Where a typical home’s kWh go
The EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey splits household electricity into five groups. These are averages across all US homes, including homes that have no air conditioning or that heat with gas.
| End use | kWh per month | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Space heating | 109 | 12% |
| Water heating | 105 | 12% |
| Air conditioning | 171 | 19% |
| Refrigerators | 70 | 8% |
| Everything else | 426 | 48% |
Source: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table CE4.1, converted to kWh a month.
Typical use by home type
| Home type | kWh per month | Cost at 17.23 cents |
|---|---|---|
| All US homes | 880 | $151.66 |
| Single-family detached houses | 1,033 | $178.03 |
| Apartments in buildings with 5 or more units | 508 | $87.55 |
A detached house uses about 2.0 times what an apartment in a large building does. If your total comes out far above or below the figure for your type of home, a device is missing from the list, or one of the hours is off.
What the total leaves out
- Devices you did not list, including heating and cooling if you skipped them.
- Standby power from electronics that stay plugged in.
- Seasonal swings. Enter the days a month you really use seasonal devices.
- Fixed charges and taxes on your bill, which are not part of the kWh cost.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much electricity my home uses?
List the devices, multiply each device’s kilowatts by its hours and days of use, and add the results. Your bill also shows the real total in kWh, so use it to check the estimate.
What is the average home’s monthly electricity use?
About 874 kWh in 2025 for all US homes, from EIA Form EIA-861. Detached houses average about 1,033 kWh and apartments in large buildings about 508 kWh, from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
Why is my estimate lower than my bill?
Most often a large load is missing, such as heating, cooling or water heating. Standby power and many small devices add up as well. Compare your total with the average for your home type to see how far off it is.
Is anything stored when I use the calculator?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to our servers.