Irish money
Electricity cost per appliance
Watts, hours and a unit rate, with common appliance presets.
Last updated: October 2026
How to use it
- Pick an appliance or type the watts from its rating plate.
- Enter the hours for one use and how many uses.
- Leave the unit rate at 34.90 cent per kWh, or replace it with the rate on your bill. Tick 9% VAT if your rate is before VAT and you want it included.
The sum
Kilowatt hours are the watts divided by 1,000, multiplied by the hours. Cost is those kilowatt hours times the cent-per-kWh rate. A 3,000 W kettle for 0.1 hours is 0.3 kWh. At 34.90 cent that is about 10 cent.
The 34.90 cent figure is Electric Ireland’s published standard urban 24-hour unit rate excluding VAT, on the estimated annual bill that uses the CRU’s 4,200 kWh consumption assumption. CRU does not publish that retail price. The standing charge and the PSO levy are not in the unit rate, so this is not a whole bill. The preset wattages are typical nameplate ratings, not a measured survey.
Sources
Electric Ireland: estimated annual bill for the 34.90 cent rate and the 4,200 kWh assumption, and CRU’s 2026/27 network-charge note. Domestic electricity VAT at 9% is on Revenue’s VAT rates.
I check these figures after each Budget or Finance Act and when a rate changes. The calculation runs in this browser. Nothing you type is stored or uploaded. Corrections: [email protected].
Questions
Does 34.90 cent include VAT?
No. It is the published rate before VAT. Tick the box to add 9%, or type a VAT-inclusive rate from your own bill and leave the box unticked.
Why is the shower cost so high?
An electric shower is often around 8.5 kW. A short shower still uses more energy than a kettle. Use the kilowatt rating printed on the unit.