How we get our numbers

PlugFacts answers three questions about an appliance: how much power it uses, what it costs to run where you live, and what can power it. Here is where each answer comes from.

Where each number comes from

Figure	Source
Yearly energy use of appliances	U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR data sets: the median of certified models of each type
Running and start-up watts	Generator makers' wattage guides: Honda, Champion and DuroMax
Power of devices	Makers' specification sheets: Starlink, Sony and NVIDIA
Electricity used by a typical home	U.S. Energy Information Administration and Ofgem
Electricity prices	U.S. Energy Information Administration, Ofgem and Eurostat

For appliance data we report the median, the middle value, so one unusual model can't skew the figure, and show the range most models fall into. Start-up watts matter because motors, like a fridge compressor, need a short burst of extra power to start. Every page links to its exact sources.

Electricity prices

We pre-fill an official average for 38 countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and 36 countries covered by Eurostat. In some countries, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, prices vary by region or by how much you use, and we have not found one official national figure. There, and anywhere else, you type the price from your bill.

Your own tariff may differ, so every calculator lets you change the price.

How the calculators work

Result	How it's worked out
Cost per year	Energy per year (kWh) × your price per kWh
Cost per month or per day	Cost per year ÷ 12, or ÷ 365
Energy per year for things you switch on	Watts × hours a day × days a week × 52.14 weeks ÷ 1,000
Average power	Energy per year (kWh) × 1,000 ÷ 8,760 hours
Generator size	Running watts of everything on at once + the biggest start-up surge, plus 20% headroom
Power station runtime	Capacity (Wh) × usable share (85% unless you change it) ÷ average load (W)
Years to pay back a new appliance	Price of the new one ÷ (kWh saved a year × price per kWh)

The hours of use on each page are examples you can change.

What the numbers cannot tell you

Typical figures describe tested, certified models in standard conditions. An older appliance, a hot room or heavy use can change the real number a lot. When you know your own appliance's figure from its energy label, type it in.

How these pages are made

Pages are written with the help of AI tools and maintained by Karan S., who checks them against the sources listed on each page. Numbers are never estimated by AI: every figure comes from a cited source or from the formulas above.

Electricity price sources

Appliance and device sources

Last checked 15 October 2026.