Your result
What your result means
1000 kWh at 18.16¢/kWh (the U.S. average) comes to $181.60. A state price here is average retail revenue per kilowatt-hour, not a household tariff quote, so fixed customer charges are already spread into the cents figure. Your own rate plan can differ. This uses the U.S. average rate.
The math
Formula and sources
kWh = watts × hours ÷ 1,000 cost = kWh × cents per kWh ÷ 100
- kWh
- kilowatt-hours, the energy your bill measures
- watts
- power of the appliance; 1,000 watts used for 1 hour is 1 kWh
- cents per kWh
- EIA residential average for the state in August 2026, or the price you type
August 2026 state prices are preliminary estimates from EIA’s cutoff sample (Form EIA-861M). August 2025 prices on the data page are final. This is not a quote from your utility.
The code and tests for this formula are open source (MIT): electricity-cost.ts on GitHub.
Sources we checked this against
- 1Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Average price of electricity to ultimate customers by end-use sector, by state, August 2026 and 2025U.S. Energy Information Administration · eia.gov
Formula last checked 2026-11-06. Found an error? Tell us and we will fix it.
Data: See the August 2026 residential price in every state (EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026 preliminary).
Data: Compare with natural gas prices per therm by state (EIA residential price, 2025 annual).
Step by step
Two worked examples
1,000 kWh at the U.S. average
Estimated cost
$181.60
- What you know
- Kilowatt-hours
- Price to use
- United States average
- Kilowatt-hours
- 1,000 kWh
1,000 × 18.16¢ ÷ 100 = $181.60. The 18.16¢ figure is EIA’s U.S. residential total for August 2026, and EIA marks 2026 as preliminary. 1,000 kWh is an example, not average household use.
A 1,500 watt heater in Hawaii
Estimated cost
$63.69
- What you know
- Watts and hours
- Price to use
- Hawaii
- Power
- 1,500 W
- Hours per day
- 3 h
- Days
- 30
1,500 W × 3 hours × 30 days ÷ 1,000 = 135 kWh. Hawaii’s August 2026 residential price is 47.18¢, so 135 × 47.18 ÷ 100 = $63.69.
| Result | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated cost | $181.60 | $63.69 |
| Price used | 18.16¢/kWh | 47.18¢/kWh |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate an electricity bill from kWh?
Multiply the kilowatt-hours by the price per kWh. If the price is in cents, divide by 100 to get dollars. 1,000 kWh at 18.16¢ is $181.60.
Where do the state prices come from?
They are the residential column of EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A for August 2026, published October 23, 2026. EIA says 2026 values are preliminary. The full table, with August 2025 beside it, is on our electricity rates by state page.
Is a state price my household tariff?
No. It is average retail revenue per kilowatt-hour, not a household tariff quote. Fixed customer charges are spread into that average rather than shown as their own line. A low-use month can cost more per kWh than the average because the fixed charge does not shrink. Type the cents from your own bill if you have them.
How do I convert watts to kilowatt-hours?
Multiply watts by hours and divide by 1,000. A 1,500 watt heater run for 3 hours uses 4.5 kWh. The label wattage is often a maximum, so a typical hour can use less.