How Much Electricity Does an Air Conditioner Use? Air conditioner usage varies based on the size of your AC. However, generally speaking, a central air conditioner will consume between 3000 and 3500 watts per hour. While window units use between 900 and 1440 watts per hour, portable units consume between 2900 and 4100.
An air conditioner's electricity consumption depends on its EER rating. 5 Star ACs are more energy-efficient than 3 Star ACs. The electricity consumption of a 5 Star AC (1.5 tons) is approximately 1.5 units per hour, whereas a 3 Star AC (1.5 tons) consumes 1.6 units every hour.
How much does air-conditioning cost to use? On average, an air conditioner costs between $0.06 and $0.88 per hour to use. Let's see how much air-conditioning costs every month (assuming it runs for 8 hours per day). The cheapest option is $14.40 per month and $211.20 per month on the high end.
While your air conditioner may vary depending on the size of your home and where you live, a 3-ton central air conditioning unit is common in many homes. The average 3-ton air conditioner operates at around 3500 watts per hour—or 3.5 kWh—while in use.
This means an AC unit could cost you from $5.17 to $5.94 per day to run. Or about $155-$178 per month you're running it. Let's say you still have an ideal home setup, but a home that's a little bit less than the size of the average home – around 1900 square feet.
1 unit of electricity = 1 kWh. The electricity used is generally charged for in “unit of electricity'. Killowatt-hours is the product of watts x time (one killowatt = 1000 watts). A two killowatt heater switched on for three hours will have used six killowatt-hours of electricity.
Your air conditioning system is one of the biggest culprits behind skyrocketing electric bills. When your air filter is dirty, refrigerant levels are low, your thermostat is faulty or you lack proper maintenance, your A/C system can end up using a lot more energy than it should.
Heating and cooling: 45-50%
The largest electricity consumer in the average household is your heating and cooling appliance. By a long shot. Central air conditioners and heaters use tons of energy in order to keep your home set to the right temperature.
Air conditioners can cost anywhere between $0.32 and $1.87 to run per hour depending on the type and where you live. Investing in one or more fans for your home can be a great idea to keep your cooling costs down this summer. The upfront cost may be a bit higher but it'll pay itself in no time.
Leave Your Air Conditioner On
You might think you're saving money by turning your AC off when you step out of the house. However, a wave of heat and humidity can sneak into your home in the interim. Therefore, leaving your air conditioner on all day in hot temperatures is more energy efficient.
The average cost of installing a new central air conditioner in 2024, including equipment and labor costs, is $5,750 for a 3-ton unit in a 2,000-square-foot home. On average, a new AC unit cost will fall between $3,300 and $7,800.
The average unit has a 500 watt fan, which uses almost as much energy over the course of the year as a refrigerator, resulting in a $50/month bill. During the summer months, the ducts in your attic and close to your walls can fill with warm air, resulting in the fan blowing hot air into your house.
While window units use between 900 and 1440 watts per hour, portable units consume between 2900 and 4100. A typical 1500W inverter AC will use roughly 60 units of power (Pa) per hour and a non-inverter 1000W AC will use about 47 Pa/hr.
What costs the most on your electric bill? Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves. Electronic devices like laptops and TVs are usually pretty cheap to run, but of course, it can all add up.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, standby power accounts for as much as 5% to 10% of residential energy use, and homeowners could save $100 to $200 each year on utility bills by unplugging devices that aren't in use.
With an average cost of $0.175 per kilowatt-hour of electricity in May 2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, running the air conditioner adds an average of $437.50 to Americans' utility bills each year.
Average Daily kWh Consumption
Now that you know what a kWh is, how much energy does the average household use per day? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the typical U.S. home uses about 30 kWh per day, or approximately 900 kWh per month.
One unit of electricity consumption is equal to 1 kwh (kilo watt hour ), so for the consumption of 200 units means the electricity is consumed 200 kilo watt hours.
Therefore, under these assumptions, a 1.5 ton AC would consume approximately 12 kWh of electricity per day.