Estimate how much your air conditioner costs to run per day, month, and cooling season. Choose a common AC type to load a starting power estimate, then adjust the wattage, run time, cycling percentage, and electricity rate to match your home.
The cycling percentage is important: many AC systems do not draw full compressor power every minute they are switched on. Weather, thermostat settings, insulation, equipment sizing, efficiency, humidity, and variable-speed operation can change real energy use substantially.
How to Estimate Your Air Conditioner’s Cost
For the best result, replace the preset wattage with the rated input power from your equipment documentation or an actual measured value. Then enter your utility rate and a realistic estimate of daily run time.
What Can Reduce AC Costs?
Improving air sealing, replacing dirty filters, maintaining outdoor coils, using sensible thermostat settings, shading sun-exposed windows, and upgrading inefficient equipment can all affect cooling demand. The right improvement depends on the home and climate.
State rate defaults use preliminary July 2026 residential averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. EIA source data.