Summer Cooling Cost Calculator
Pick your cooling - a 900 W window unit, 3500 W central air or a 70 W box fan - and set the hours and rate. The calculator gives the daily, monthly and four-month season bill, plus what two thermostat degrees save.
Two degrees on the thermostat is six percent of the bill - the highest-paid two degrees in the house, especially with a ceiling fan making the room feel four degrees cooler for pennies. The window-unit row is the honest budget option: one room cooled well beats the whole house cooled lukewarm.
How to use
- Pick the cooling that matches how you actually live.
- Set honest hours - the overnight cycle counts too.
- Check the filter monthly; a clogged one is the quietest bill increase.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run AC in summer?
A 3500 W central system at 8 hours a day runs about 140 dollars a month at typical rates; a window unit cools one room for roughly a quarter of that. The calculator prices your unit, hours and rate.
Does raising the thermostat really save money?
About 6 percent per two degrees in summer - the ceiling fan is the trick that makes it livable, since moving air feels roughly four degrees cooler on skin. Fans cool people, not rooms, so switch them off leaving.
Why did my summer electric bill jump?
Usually the AC running longer for the same cooling: a clogged filter, dirty coils or leaky shade all make the unit work harder. The furnace-filter rule counts double in cooling season.
Is a window unit cheaper than central AC?
Per room, dramatically - 900 W against 3500 W is a fourfold difference in watts. Cooling one occupied room well beats cooling the empty house lukewarm, which is the honest budget play for smaller homes.