How much does each appliance cost to run in Perth?

Your Synergy electricity bill totals the consumption of every appliance in your home. But most households don't know which appliances are responsible for most of that spending. The answer typically surprises people: a few major appliances dominate, and many "obvious" suspects (phone chargers, lights) contribute relatively little.

The following figures use Perth's A1 tariff rate of 33.26c/kWh and Midday Saver peak rate of 55.33c/kWh (3pm–9pm) where noted.

High-cost appliances

Air conditioning

The dominant variable cost for most Perth households in summer.

Type	Power draw	3hr daily use	Annual cost (A1)	Cost at Midday Saver peak (55.33c)
Small split system (bedroom)	0.6–1.2kW	1.8–3.6kWh	$220–$437	99c–$2.00/hr
Medium split system (living)	1.5–2.5kW	4.5–7.5kWh	$547–$912	$0.83–$1.38/hr
Large split system	2.5–4kW	7.5–12kWh	$912–$1,458	$1.38–$2.21/hr
Ducted system (4 zones)	4–8kW	12–24kWh	$1,459–$2,918	$2.21–$4.43/hr
Ducted system (whole house)	8–12kW	24–36kWh	$2,918–$4,377	$4.43–$6.64/hr

Costs assume 90 days/year of significant use (Perth summer). Actual variation is large. Ducted AC is the largest electricity cost for many Perth families.

Hot water

Type	Daily consumption	Annual cost (A1)
Electric resistance storage (3.6kW element)	5–8kWh	$608–$973
Heat pump (COP 3.5)	1.5–2.5kWh	$182–$304
Solar thermal (with electric booster)	1–3kWh booster	$122–$365

Hot water is typically 15–25% of a Perth household's electricity bill, the second-largest category after air conditioning for most homes.

Pool pump

Type	Power	Daily run	Annual cost (A1)
Fixed-speed single phase (750W)	750W	6hr	$548
Fixed-speed (1.1kW)	1.1kW	6hr	$803
Variable speed (VS pump, 0.3kW at low)	0.3kW avg	8hr	$292

Running a fixed-speed pool pump during solar hours (9am–3pm) saves significantly on Midday Saver; a VS pump on low during solar hours is particularly economical.

Medium-cost appliances

Clothes dryer

Type	Per cycle	Annual (5 cycles/week)
Vented electric dryer (2.4kW, 45min)	1.8kWh = 60c	$156
Heat pump dryer (0.9kW, 60min)	0.9kWh = 30c	$78

Perth's sun makes line drying free and effective for 9+ months of the year. Using the dryer only in winter reduces annual cost by 70%+.

Oven and cooking

Appliance	Power	Per use	Notes
Electric oven	2–3kW	1.5–2.5kWh (45min) = 50–83c
Induction cooktop	1.5–3kW per zone	0.5–1kWh per meal = 17–33c	More efficient than resistive element
Resistive element cooktop	2–3kW per zone	0.8–1.5kWh per meal = 27–50c
Air fryer	1.4kW	0.35kWh (15min) = 12c	Replaces oven for small meals
Slow cooker	0.2kW	1.2kWh (6hr) = 40c	Much less than oven despite longer run time
Microwave	1.2kW	0.03kWh (90s) = 1c	Very low cost per use

Dishwasher

Type	Per cycle
Standard (older)	1.5–2kWh = 50–66c
Eco mode (modern)	0.8–1.2kWh = 27–40c

Annual cost: 1 cycle/day × $0.35 avg = $128/yr. Run during solar hours (9am–3pm) to self-consume rather than import.

Washing machine

Type	Per cycle
Top-loader (full cycle)	2–3kWh = 66c–$1.00
Front-loader (warm wash)	0.6–1kWh = 20–33c
Front-loader (cold wash)	0.15–0.3kWh = 5–10c

Cold wash uses minimal electricity: most of a warm cycle's energy goes to heating water. Perth's subtropical climate means cold washes clean effectively year-round.

EV charging

Charger	kW	8hr session	Cost (A1)	Cost (Midday Saver super off-peak 8.85c)
Level 1 (standard socket 2.4kW)	2.4kW	19.2kWh	$6.38	$1.70
Level 2 (7.4kW)	7.4kW	59.2kWh	$19.68	$5.24

An EV charged overnight at Level 2 on A1 costs approximately $20/session. The same session on Midday Saver super off-peak costs $5.24. The tariff choice is the dominant variable in EV running costs.

Low-cost appliances

Refrigerator

Type	Annual consumption	Annual cost (A1)
Modern fridge (250L, A++ rating)	150–200kWh	$50–$66
Older fridge (300L+, pre-2000)	400–600kWh	$133–$200
Second/beer fridge in garage	300–500kWh	$100–$166

An old fridge running in the garage can cost more than two modern fridges. This is often the highest-value appliance replacement for reducing energy bills.

Lighting

Type	Annual cost (12hr/day)
9W LED (replaces 60W incandescent)	39kWh = $13
60W incandescent (for comparison)	263kWh = $87
1 room of 6 LED downlights (54W total)	197kWh = $65

LED lighting is already cheap to run. Upgrading from LEDs to LEDs saves nothing. The impact of switching off lights is real but modest relative to AC and hot water.

Entertainment and standby

Device	Annual cost
65" OLED TV (4hr/day)	115kWh = $38
Gaming console (active 2hr/day)	60–150kWh = $20–$50
Phone charging (nightly)	15kWh = $5
Router and NBN modem (always on)	35–50kWh = $12–$17
PC (4hr/day, 100W desktop)	146kWh = $49

"Leave your phone charger plugged in all night" contributes approximately $5/year. It's genuinely negligible. Focus on the big three: AC, hot water, pool pump.

Where to prioritise

By annual impact on a typical Perth household:

Air conditioning (summer): $500–$4,000+ depending on usage and system type
Hot water: $200–$1,000 depending on system type and tariff optimisation
Pool pump: $200–$800 depending on type and operation hours
Dryer and cooking: $200–$400
EV charging: $0 to $2,000+ depending on mileage and tariff
Everything else: typically < $300 combined

Optimising the top 2–3 categories delivers 80%+ of available savings.

Appliance running costs are the usage half of your bill. The other half is fixed no matter what you switch off, and how a Perth electricity bill works sets out both, plus the credits that come off the total.

Upload your Synergy bill to BillWise to see how your consumption compares to Perth averages by household size and get tailored recommendations for reducing your bill.