The short answer
Use the exact US model’s compatible annual kWh and your electricity price in dollars per kWh, rather than treating the EnergyGuide dollar estimate as your bill. Check associated water-heating scope for laundry and dishwashers. Keep fixed charges separate and use household energy for complete tariff comparisons.
1. Identify the energy source and its boundary
Start with the exact model’s EnergyGuide label, manufacturer document or a suitable measurement. Copy the energy quantity and its unit.
The FTC explains that the printed dollar estimate uses standardized assumptions. You can apply your own rate to a compatible annual kWh figure without treating the label’s dollar amount as your bill.
For a washer, check associated water-heating scope. A socket measurement and a published annual estimate can describe different energy boundaries. An efficiency metric such as IMEF or a cooling-capacity figure such as BTU/h is not a kWh quantity.
Read the US label guide or open the guided reader and select United States.
The Market & tariff control can remember a US starting market and your USD price on this device. Choosing a different market clears the draft price so you can enter the relevant tariff. Explicit worked examples keep their stated currency and prices ahead of remembered settings; check them before treating a result as your own.
2. Enter dollars per kWh from your own tariff
Select USD, then enter the applicable electricity price. An illustrative 20 cents/kWh becomes 0.20. The tool does not convert an existing GBP price into dollars.
Keep consumption-related charges separate from a fixed monthly or daily charge. Use the tax and charge basis that matches the estimate you need. If the rate changes with time, tier or season, a single entered price is a scenario, rather than a full billing simulation.
Find the unit rate before entering a whole monthly payment as though it were a kWh price.
3. Calculate one appliance on the stated basis
A documented refrigerator example is ENERGY STAR registry ID 2350114, GE model family GTE19JSN****, at 379 kWh/year. Its registry export, dated 16 August 2026, specifies a 19.2 cubic-foot top-freezer configuration without an ice maker. At an illustrative $0.20/kWh, its stated annual energy costs $75.80/year, averaging $6.32/month.
Load the USD example below to start with those exact inputs. Replace the source and rate for your own appliance.
| Documented US reference | Annual energy | Electricity at the illustrative $0.20/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| GE GTE19JSN family, specified 19.2 ft³ configuration | 379 kWh | $75.80/year |
| Whirlpool WRT549SZD family, specified 19.3 ft³ configuration | 378 kWh | $75.60/year |
This $0.20/year difference is context rather than a buying ranking. Configuration, usable capacity, features and a confirmed local quote matter. A registry family match does not confirm your exact suffix, today’s stock or a retailer price. The documented appliance examples retain the original source alongside calculator links.
Annual kWh is priced directly. It already describes its stated annual period; another hours-per-day multiplier would count time twice. For a suitable measured sample, use completed days and recorded kWh to build a separate estimate.
The measured US dryer case study shows how a published household observation becomes a separately stated running-cost and replacement scenario.
4. Combine non-overlapping household loads
The household planner accepts annual, per-cycle, power/time and measured-day inputs. Name each row and retain its source basis.
Add quantity only when that figure applies to each of several appliances. A shared measurement that already includes two devices should not be multiplied by two again. Keep any separately priced water heating from overlapping with a washer source that already includes it.
Seasonal cooling or heating needs the chosen use days. A fridge’s stated annual kWh should stay on its annual basis. Compare the planner total with your billed consumption to identify missing loads or inconsistent assumptions.
5. Compare tariffs using the whole household
The two-tariff comparison separates energy from daily fixed charges and lets you test an off-peak energy share.
US plans can include more than two prices. PG&E’s guidance, for example, distinguishes named time windows and seasonal/baseline conditions. The tariff guide explains what our simpler model includes and when a utility’s complete comparison is needed.
A utility quote with a monthly fixed fee needs conversion to a consistent daily assumption for this tool; record the annual amount and chosen 365/366-day period.
For example, an illustrative $12 fixed fee per month is $144/year. Across 365 days, enter 144 ÷ 365, about $0.39452055/day, retaining sufficient precision. Entering $12 as the daily fee would model $4,380/year and overstate the fixed charge. This conversion does not simplify tiers or demand charges into a flat-rate bill.
6. Choose buying comparison or keeping-versus-replacing
For two new candidates, use purchase plus electricity comparison with comparable capacities and documented energy.
For a working appliance, use replacement payback with installation, collection and confirmed credits. Read the fridge replacement example to see why a positive annual saving can still leave replacement more expensive over five years.
Save or print the inputs with the exact model, tariff date, source scope and chosen period. Device saves stay in this browser; a shared link carries the stated inputs. These records make an estimate easier to revisit when your tariff or routine changes.