70 Canadian cities · prices and programs checked October 8, 2026

Appliance energy cost calculator

What a fridge, freezer, dryer, block heater, hot tub or EV costs to run a year at your local electricity price, and what a newer model, a timer or switching off would save.

How we calculate this

The formula

cost a year = kWh a year × how many × price of one more kWh

We use the price of one more kWh (no fixed charges) because switching off or replacing an appliance doesn't change your fixed charges. Where the price rises in steps (Hydro-Québec, BC Hydro, Yukon), we start from the lower first-step price, the conservative choice for savings; enter the higher one if your home is usually above the step.

saving = (kWh of the older model or habit − kWh of the efficient option) × price

The example household (one older fridge, newer laundry and kitchen appliances, 10 LED bulbs, a set of devices on standby and, in cold cities, a block heater without a timer) is an assumption to edit, not an average.

Where the kWh come from

Fridges and freezers: Hydro-Québec's appliance calculator data by model year (older = 2002–2008 or as labelled, new = 2017 and later).
Dishwashers, washers, dryers and ranges: NRCan's rated annual use for new units sold in 2008 and 2022 (machine only; the hot water is counted in the heating calculator).
TVs, computers and consoles: Hydro-Québec's wattages at 3 hours a day; dehumidifiers and heat pump dryers: ENERGY STAR medians for models sold in Canada.
Block heaters: 500 W; 12 hours a night without a timer, 4 hours on a timer (SaskPower). We pre-fill the number of nights with the yearly count of nights below −20 °C at your ECCC weather station, a conservative count of the nights SaskPower suggests plugging in (below −15 °C).
Hot tubs: Hydro-Québec's calculator figure, which reflects Quebec's climate; colder cities use more and coastal BC less.
Light bulbs: one 800-lumen bulb on 3 hours a day, 60 W incandescent or 10 W LED (Hydro-Québec). Microwave 1,200 W, space heater 1,500 W, pool pump 1,310 W at full speed or 310 W at low speed over a 120-day season: kWh = watts × hours ÷ 1,000.
Standby: 40 W around the clock for an example set of devices (Hydro-Québec wattages). Heat recovery ventilator: 22 L/s all year at the ENERGY STAR minimum fan efficacy, our arithmetic rather than a published figure.
Electric vehicles: the median of the 221 battery-electric listings in NRCan's 2026 Fuel Consumption Guide, 24.1 kWh/100 km, × the kilometres you enter (20,000 to start, NRCan's costing basis). Winter driving uses more.

Rated figures come from standard tests; your own use depends on habits, room temperature and how full the fridge is. Your utility's online account shows your actual hourly or daily use.