Convert kW to kWh from power and running time and estimate the electricity cost at your $/kWh rate, or find the cost of a kWh total or convert kWh to kW.
kW to kWh Electricity Cost Calculation
The following formula is used to calculate total electricity cost from power usage (kW), time (hours), and an electricity rate ($/kWh).
- Where r is the electricity rate ($/kWh)
- TC is the total cost of the electricity used ($)
- P is the average power usage (kW)
- T is the total time of usage (hr)
To calculate total cost, multiply the power (kW) by the time (hr) to get energy in kWh, then multiply by the electricity rate ($/kWh).
| Kilowatts (kW) | Cost per Hour (USD) |
|---|---|
| 0.05 | 0.008 |
| 0.10 | 0.015 |
| 0.20 | 0.030 |
| 0.25 | 0.038 |
| 0.30 | 0.045 |
| 0.40 | 0.060 |
| 0.50 | 0.075 |
| 0.60 | 0.090 |
| 0.75 | 0.113 |
| 1.00 | 0.150 |
| 1.20 | 0.180 |
| 1.50 | 0.225 |
| 1.80 | 0.270 |
| 2.00 | 0.300 |
| 2.40 | 0.360 |
| 3.00 | 0.450 |
| 3.50 | 0.525 |
| 4.00 | 0.600 |
| 5.00 | 0.750 |
| 6.00 | 0.900 |
| *Assumes electricity rate = $0.15/kWh and time = 1 hour. Cost = rate × kW × hours. Values rounded to 3 decimals. | |
What is kWh Cost?
A “kWh cost” usually refers to the electricity rate: the price you pay per kilowatt-hour of energy, typically shown on a utility bill in $/kWh.
A kWh, short for kilowatt-hour, is a unit of energy equal to using 1 kilowatt (kW) of power for 1 hour.
Example Problem
How to calculate electricity cost from kW?
The first step in calculating total electricity cost is to determine the electricity rate (in $/kWh) and the device’s average power draw (in kW) for the time period.
For this example, the electricity rate (r) is $0.15/kWh.
Next, determine the average power consumption the device or household was running at during the time period.
In this case, the entire household averaged 10 kW.
Next, determine the total number of hours that power usage occurred.
For this example, the power usage was for a full 24 hours.
Finally, calculate the total cost using the formula above:
TC = P × T × r
TC = (10*24)*0.15
TC = $36.00
