Coffee Maker Running Cost Calculator
Most people focus on the purchase price of a coffee maker and forget about the electricity bill that follows it home. This calculator figures out your yearly running cost by multiplying three numbers together: how many pots you brew per week, how much energy each brew draws (measured in kilowatt-hours), and what you pay per kWh on your utility bill.
To use it, adjust the three sliders to match your setup. Start with how many pots you brew per week, the default is one per day. Then enter the energy per brew in kWh; most drip coffee makers fall between 0.08 and 0.15 kWh for a full pot, and you can usually find this figure on the appliance label or in the product manual. Finally, enter your electricity rate, your latest utility bill lists it as a cents-per-kWh figure, which you convert to dollars (so 17 cents becomes 0.17).
The calculator applies the formula directly: pots per week times 52 weeks times kWh per brew times your rate. The result is an estimate based solely on the numbers you provide. Actual costs can vary with brew size, keep-warm cycles, and standby draw, but this gives you a solid baseline for comparing machines or justifying an upgrade.
How the math works
Yearly cost = pots per week x 52 weeks x kWh per brew x your $/kWh rate
Every spec in this tool comes from the product data behind our best drip coffee makers for home; see how we choose.
U.S. residential electricity rates by state
The calculator's state dropdown uses these numbers. Download the full table as CSV.
Show all 51 states & rates
| Alabama | 17.15 |
| Alaska | 27.17 |
| Arizona | 15.59 |
| Arkansas | 13.63 |
| California | 33.35 |
| Colorado | 16.74 |
| Connecticut | 30.47 |
| Delaware | 17.64 |
| District of Columbia | 25.0 |
| Florida | 14.86 |
| Georgia | 15.01 |
| Hawaii | 42.23 |
| Idaho | 13.01 |
| Illinois | 18.86 |
| Indiana | 17.85 |
| Iowa | 13.42 |
| Kansas | 15.34 |
| Kentucky | 14.88 |
| Louisiana | 14.16 |
| Maine | 28.32 |
| Maryland | 22.2 |
| Massachusetts | 30.21 |
| Michigan | 21.2 |
| Minnesota | 15.08 |
| Mississippi | 16.3 |
| Missouri | 13.44 |
| Montana | 13.48 |
| Nebraska | 13.1 |
| Nevada | 14.17 |
| New Hampshire | 26.92 |
| New Jersey | 23.49 |
| New Mexico | 14.81 |
| New York | 28.55 |
| North Carolina | 16.0 |
| North Dakota | 11.95 |
| Ohio | 18.78 |
| Oklahoma | 13.56 |
| Oregon | 14.89 |
| Pennsylvania | 20.92 |
| Rhode Island | 29.91 |
| South Carolina | 16.45 |
| South Dakota | 14.29 |
| Tennessee | 15.08 |
| Texas | 16.39 |
| Utah | 13.17 |
| Vermont | 24.11 |
| Virginia | 17.05 |
| Washington | 14.4 |
| West Virginia | 16.37 |
| Wisconsin | 18.8 |
| Wyoming | 13.59 |
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, March 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-10. U.S. average: 18.56 cents/kWh.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the kWh-per-brew figure for my coffee maker?
Check the appliance label on the bottom or back of the machine, or look up the wattage in the product manual. Divide the wattage by 1,000 to get kilowatts, then multiply by how long a brew cycle takes in hours. A 900-watt machine that brews in 8 minutes uses about 0.12 kWh per pot.
Where do I find my electricity rate?
It's on your monthly utility bill, usually listed as cents per kilowatt-hour. Divide that number by 100 to get the dollar figure the calculator expects. The U.S. average is around 17 cents ($0.17), but rates vary widely by state and season.
Does this include the cost of keeping coffee warm on the hot plate?
No. Keep-warm cycles can add meaningful draw, sometimes 20 to 60 watts for as long as the carafe sits on the plate. If you leave your machine on for an hour after each brew, add that wattage separately. Switching to a thermal carafe model eliminates this cost entirely.
How do I use this to compare two coffee makers?
Run the calculator once for each machine using its specific kWh-per-brew value (found on its spec sheet or label). Keep the brews-per-week and electricity rate the same for both. The difference in yearly cost tells you how long it would take the more efficient machine to pay back any price difference.
Is the estimate exact?
No, it's a planning figure. Brew time, water temperature, machine age, and standby power all affect real-world consumption. Treat the output as a reasonable estimate for budgeting or comparison, not a utility bill prediction.