British Columbia · electricity price checked October 8, 2026
Appliance energy cost calculator for Surrey
In Surrey, one more kWh from BC Hydro costs about $0.123/kWh with taxes for the first 675 kWh a month your home uses, and $0.146/kWh above that. At that rate an older top-freezer fridge (2002–2008) costs about $56 a year to run and a 2017-or-newer one about $46; a second fridge from the late 1990s in the garage costs about $76 a year, all of it saved by unplugging it.
One more kWh
$0.123/kWh
BC Hydro, taxes in
Average price
$0.140/kWh
a 1,000 kWh month, fixed charges in
Older 2nd fridge
$76
a year to run
Nights below −20 °C
0
ECCC normals, Richmond Nature Park
Appliance energy cost calculator for Surrey
Pre-filled with an example household: one older fridge, newer laundry and kitchen appliances, 10 LED bulbs and a set of devices on standby. Tick what you have, pick older or newer models and enter your own use. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Surrey at a glance
Yearly running cost at $0.123/kWh, the price of one more kWh from BC Hydro with taxes. Each row compares the model or habit on the left with the efficient option on the right.
| Appliance | Older or as is | Efficient option | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator, top freezerOlder (2002–2008) vs newer (2017 or later) | $56460 kWh | $46370 kWh | saves $11/yr |
| Second fridge (garage or basement)Older (1994–2001) vs newer (2017 or later) | $76620 kWh | $46370 kWh | saves $31/yr |
| Chest freezerOlder (2004–2009) vs newer (2017 or later) | $42340 kWh | $36295 kWh | saves $6/yr |
| Upright freezer, frost-freeOlder (2004–2014) vs newer (2017 or later) | $77630 kWh | $57465 kWh | saves $21/yr |
| Dishwasher (machine only)Older (2008 model) vs newer (2022 model) | $1193 kWh | $970 kWh | saves $3/yr |
| Clothes washer (machine only)Older (2008 model) vs newer (2022 model) | $541 kWh | $327 kWh | saves $2/yr |
| Electric clothes dryerOlder (2008 model) vs newer (2022 model) | $110915 kWh | $68555 kWh | saves $45/yr |
| Heat pump dryer instead of a vented dryerVented electric dryer vs heat pump dryer | $75610 kWh | $29235 kWh | saves $46/yr |
| Electric range and ovenOlder (2008 model) vs newer (2022 model) | $64520 kWh | $68550 kWh | uses $3/yr more |
| Television, about 55 inchesOlder (2008–2009 LCD) vs newer (ENERGY STAR LED) | $34280 kWh | $1192 kWh | saves $23/yr |
| Desktop computer and monitorDesktop vs laptop instead | $17135 kWh | $648 kWh | saves $11/yr |
| Game consoleLeft in instant-on standby vs switched fully off | $25200 kWh | $14110 kWh | saves $11/yr |
| Portable dehumidifierStandard model vs ENERGY STAR model | $46370 kWh | $39315 kWh | saves $7/yr |
| Outdoor hot tub | $5754,670 kWh | — | — |
| Light bulbs, 3 hours a day each60 W incandescent vs 10 W LED | $866 kWh | $111 kWh | saves $7/yr |
| Standby power (example set of devices) | $43350 kWh | — | — |
| Heat recovery ventilatorENERGY STAR minimum | — | $26215 kWh | — |
| Electric vehicle charging20,000 km a year at 24.1 kWh/100 km | $5904,820 kWh | — | — |
Per bulb for lighting; the hot tub and standby rows are single estimates. Newer electric ranges are rated slightly higher than 2008 models, so replacing one for efficiency doesn't pay. Sources for every figure are listed below.
Block heaters in Surrey
Surrey averages fewer than one night a year below −20 °C (ECCC 1981–2010 normals, Richmond Nature Park station), so a block heater is rarely needed. Each night plugged in costs about $0.74 for 12 hours and $0.25 on a 4-hour timer.
SaskPower suggests plugging in below −15 °C, which happens more often, and NRCan suggests a timer set to no more than 2 hours. The calculator lets you enter your own number of nights.
Electricity prices used here
- $0.123/kWh for one more kWh, within the first 675 kWh a month. This is the price the calculator uses.
- $0.146/kWh for each kWh above 675 kWh a month.
- $0.140/kWh on average for a 1,000 kWh month, fixed charges included.
Fixed monthly charges don't change when you unplug something, so savings use the price of one more kWh. Check the price on your own bill: rates change, and some homes pay by time of use.
Common questions in Surrey
How much does it cost to run a fridge in Surrey?
At $0.123/kWh for each extra kWh, a 2002–2008 top-freezer fridge (about 458 kWh a year, Hydro-Québec data) costs about $56 a year, and a 2017-or-newer model (about 372 kWh) about $46. Bottom-freezer and ice-maker models use more.
Is an old second fridge worth unplugging?
A 1994–2001 fridge uses about 622 kWh a year, about $76 at Surrey's price of $0.123/kWh. Unplugging it saves all of that; replacing it with a new model saves about $31 a year.
What does electricity cost in Surrey?
BC Hydro electricity averages about $0.140/kWh for a 1,000 kWh month including taxes and fixed charges. One more kWh costs about $0.123/kWh within the first 675 kWh a month and $0.146/kWh above that; this calculator starts from the lower price, the conservative choice for savings. We use the price of one more kWh because turning an appliance off doesn't change fixed charges.
How much does a block heater cost to run in Surrey?
A 500 W block heater left on 12 hours uses 6 kWh a night; on a 4-hour timer it uses 2 kWh (SaskPower). Surrey averages fewer than one night a year below −20 °C (ECCC normals); each night plugged in costs about $0.74 without a timer and $0.25 with one. SaskPower suggests plugging in below −15 °C, which happens more often.
How much does a hot tub cost to run in Surrey?
Hydro-Québec's calculator puts a year-round outdoor hot tub at about 4,667 kWh a year in Quebec's climate, about $575 at $0.123/kWh. Heat loss grows with the gap between water and air temperature, so expect more in a colder place than Quebec and less on the BC coast; a good cover matters most.
Does a heat pump dryer save money?
ENERGY STAR data for models sold in Canada put a vented electric dryer at about 608 kWh a year and a heat pump dryer at about 236 kWh (283 loads), a saving of about $46 a year in Surrey. NRCan's rated figures show a 2008 dryer at 916 kWh and a 2022 model at 553 kWh.
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.
More for Surrey
Sources
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 (MSC GeoMet API) ↗
- Refrigerator, top freezer: hydroquebec.com ↗
- Dishwasher (machine only): oee.nrcan.gc.ca ↗
- Heat pump dryer instead of a vented dryer: data.energystar.gov ↗
- Television, about 55 inches: data.energystar.gov ↗
- Portable dehumidifier: data.energystar.gov ↗
- Engine block heater (500 W): saskpower.com ↗
- Portable electric space heater (1,500 W): hydroone.com ↗
- Heat recovery ventilator: natural-resources.canada.ca ↗
- Electric vehicle charging: natural-resources.canada.ca ↗
- Hydro-Québec appliance calculator ↗
- Electricity price: BC Hydro ↗
- Electricity rates, BC Hydro: bchydro electric tariff, PDF ↗
- Electricity rates, BC Hydro: residential rates, tiered ↗
- Electricity rates, BC Hydro: sample bill residential tiered rate, PDF ↗
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