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How Much Electricity Do Your AC, Geyser and Fans Really Use?
Quick Work Studio · 2026-10-02
Your electricity bill is charged in units, and one unit is one kilowatt-hour (kWh), a 1,000-watt appliance running for one hour. Once you know that, you can work out what any appliance costs from the watts printed on its label.
The formula
Units = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours used. Cost = units × your rate per unit. A 2,000-watt geyser running for 30 minutes uses 2 × 0.5 = 1 unit. At ₹7 a unit, that's ₹7 a day, or about ₹210 a month.
The air conditioner is usually the big one
A 1.5-ton split AC typically draws somewhere around 1,000–1,600 watts while its compressor is running. Say it averages 1,500 watts for 8 hours a night: that's 12 units a day, about 360 units a month, roughly ₹2,500 at ₹7 a unit. Inverter ACs use noticeably less once the room is cool, because the compressor slows down instead of switching fully on and off.
Every degree counts
India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency suggests 24°C as a sensible default setting, and estimates that each degree higher saves around 6% of the AC's energy. Running at 24°C instead of 18°C can trim a large share of the cooling bill without much difference in comfort, especially with a fan running alongside.
Fans: small, but always on
A regular ceiling fan uses about 70–75 watts. Running 12 hours a day, that's about 27 units a month. A BLDC (brushless) fan uses around 30 watts for the same air, about 11 units, a saving of roughly ₹110 a month per fan at ₹7 a unit. In a house with four or five fans, that adds up fast.
Things that surprise people
- Fridges run all day but cycle on and off; a typical one uses around 1–1.5 units a day.
- Irons, kettles and induction cooktops draw 1,000–2,000 watts, but only for minutes at a time.
- LED bulbs (around 9 watts) are so efficient that lighting is rarely a big part of a modern bill.
Why your bill may still differ
Most electricity boards use slab rates, the price per unit rises as your monthly usage crosses certain levels, and add fixed charges and duty. So the last 100 units in a hot month can cost more than the first 100. Use your bill's actual slab rate when estimating.
Try it: the Electricity Bill Calculator turns any appliance's watts and hours into units and cost, and adds up a whole home's appliances in one list. To split a shared bill between flatmates, use the Bill Split Calculator.