How to use the appliance wattage list
The table on this page lists running watts, a surge multiplier, and typical daily hours of use for around 80 common household appliances, searchable by name. It answers a practical question: how much electricity does this specific appliance actually use, and what do I need to plan around it?
That's useful for estimating a bill on its own, and even more useful as an input to other calculators here, particularly for sizing an inverter, battery bank, or full solar system.
Finding an appliance's wattage
There are three reliable ways to find an appliance's wattage:
- Check the label. Most appliances have a nameplate or rating sticker, often on the back, bottom, or inside a door, listing either watts directly or volts and amps.
- Do the math. If only volts and amps are listed, multiply them:
Watts = Volts × Amps. A device rated at 230V and 0.5A draws about 115 W. - Measure it. A plug-in power meter gives the most accurate reading, especially for appliances whose draw changes during use, like a refrigerator compressor cycling on and off.
The list on this page gives typical running watts as a starting point when a label isn't handy, but individual models vary, so use the label or a meter reading when precision matters.
Running watts vs surge/starting watts
Running watts is what an appliance draws once it's operating steadily. Surge watts (also called starting watts or inrush current) is a short spike that happens the instant a motor or compressor starts, and it can run 2 to 3 times higher than running watts - refrigerators, air conditioners, well pumps and washing machines are common examples.
This matters most for equipment that has to survive the spike, not just steady-state draw. A generator or inverter needs to be rated for the highest surge it might see, especially if several motors could start together, while a battery cares mainly about total energy over time, since a brief surge barely registers across a full day. The list includes a surge multiplier for this reason.
Turning watts into daily kWh
Once you know an appliance's running watts and how many hours a day it's actually used, daily energy use follows directly:
Daily kWh = (Watts × Hours used per day) ÷ 1,000
A 1,500 W air conditioner running 6 hours a day uses 1,500 times 6 divided by 1,000, or 9 kWh that day. A 10 W phone charger left plugged in for 8 hours uses only 0.08 kWh - a reminder that not everything left "on" for hours is a meaningful contributor to a bill.
Worked example: a day in a typical household
| Appliance | Running watts | Hours/day | kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 150 W | 24 | 3.60 |
| LED lighting (whole home) | 100 W | 5 | 0.50 |
| Television | 120 W | 4 | 0.48 |
| Wi-Fi router + laptop | 80 W | 8 | 0.64 |
| Washing machine | 500 W | 1 | 0.50 |
| Microwave | 1,200 W | 0.3 | 0.36 |
| Air conditioner (1 unit) | 1,500 W | 6 | 9.00 |
| Electric water heater | 3,000 W | 1 | 3.00 |
| Total | ~18.1 kWh/day |
That's roughly 540 kWh a month, a reasonably typical figure for a small-to-medium household running one air conditioning unit, though actual usage swings with climate, home size and occupancy.
The biggest energy users
A handful of appliances drive most of a typical household's electricity use, mainly anything that generates heat or runs a large motor:
| Appliance | Typical running watts | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Central air conditioner | 2,000-3,500 W | 6-10 hrs on hot days |
| Electric water heater | 3,000-4,500 W | 1-2 hrs (cycling) |
| Clothes dryer | 2,000-3,000 W | 0.5-1 hr per load |
| EV charger (Level 2) | 3,000-7,000 W | 2-8 hrs per charge |
| Electric oven/range | 2,000-3,000 W | 0.5-1 hr per meal |
If you're trying to reduce a bill or shrink a solar system's required size, these five categories are usually the highest-leverage place to start, well ahead of lighting or small electronics.
From appliances to inverter and battery sizing
This list feeds directly into two other calculators on the site. For an inverter, add up the surge watts of everything that could realistically run at once - a refrigerator, a few lights and a television together, say - since the inverter has to survive that combined peak, even briefly. For a battery, add up daily kWh instead: watts times hours used, divided by 1,000, summed across everything the battery needs to cover.
Voltage notes: 120V vs 230V
Household voltage differs by country - around 120V in the US, Canada and parts of Latin America, and around 220-240V across the UK, most of Europe, India, Pakistan, Australia and much of Africa. This does not change an appliance's wattage; a 1,500 W hairdryer uses 1,500 W on either standard. What differs is current draw in amps, since Watts = Volts × Amps means a lower-voltage system needs more amps, and thicker wiring, for the same power.
Energy-saving tips
- Switch remaining incandescent or halogen bulbs to LEDs, which use roughly 75 to 85 percent less power for the same brightness.
- Unplug chargers and electronics that draw standby power even when switched off.
- Run large loads like dryers and washing machines during off-peak hours where time-of-use rates apply.
- Set water heater and AC thermostats a few degrees more conservatively to cut runtime.
- Clean or replace air conditioner and dryer filters regularly, since a clogged filter makes the motor work harder.