Australia · AUD

Air conditioner running costs in Australia

Estimate the electricity cost of a split system, ducted air conditioner or reverse-cycle heating. Enter your usage rate and the electricity the unit draws or uses. Its advertised heating or cooling capacity is a different quantity.

Air conditioner electricity cost calculator

Use watts and running time, or enter energy from a label, meter or completed load. Your inputs stay on this device.

What energy information do you have? Choose the information you have. Direct kWh inputs already include the cycling recorded in that energy. Electricity rate cents per kWh Enter 30 for A$0.30/kWh. This is a conversion example, not an Australian average. Use your bill’s applicable usage rate, including GST where charged. Supply charges are separate. No national tariff is preselected.

Power and running time

Power draw watts Use measured watts or operating input power from your model’s documentation. Daily schedule hours per use day Hours in the operating window. Duty cycle accounts for cycling within that time. Duty cycle percent of scheduled time Use 100% for continuously drawn or already averaged watts. Use days per year days For seasonal use, enter your actual number of use days.

Your estimated energy cost

Scheduled hour—

Use day—

30.44 use days—

Annual total—

— across 365 use days per year

Power mode includes your selected duty cycle. The monthly figure assumes 30.44 use days; the annual total uses your selected use days. These are estimates at the entered rate.

Energy charges only. Standing or supply charges, purchase, installation and maintenance are excluded. See the calculation method and sources.

Reset calculator

JavaScript is required to update inputs and calculation methods. No total is shown until the required inputs are supplied. Cost in AUD = kWh × rate in cents per kWh ÷ 100. For power, kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × duty cycle ÷ 100. For a per-use annual estimate, multiply kWh per use by uses per active week and active weeks per year.

Before you compare costs

Use electrical input power, not the kW printed as heating or cooling capacity.
A measurement of total kWh includes the cycling and power changes during that period.
The examples use an illustrative rate. Enter your own bill rate, including GST, for an estimate in Australian dollars.

Example: a constant 1 kW electrical draw

Illustrative arithmetic at 30 c/kWh. A constant 1 kW electrical input is used throughout each period. This is not a typical aircon input, a thermal-capacity rating or a prediction of how your system will cycle.

These fixed examples use 30c/kWh. Changing the calculator updates its results only.

Example: a constant 1 kW electrical draw
Time at 1 kW input	Electricity used	Example cost
1 hour	1 kWh	A$0.30
4 hours	4 kWh	A$1.20
8 hours	8 kWh	A$2.40

Find electrical input rather than thermal capacity

Check the exact model specifications for electrical input power in cooling or heating mode. A unit advertised with a 7 kW cooling capacity does not necessarily draw 7 kW of electricity. Capacity describes the heating or cooling it delivers.

For a constant draw, kWh = electrical input in kW x hours. For input in watts, divide by 1,000 first. Then cost in AUD = kWh x your rate in c/kWh / 100. Rated input describes specified conditions; actual input can change during use.

Account for cycling, mode and conditions

An air conditioner may switch its compressor on and off or vary its input to maintain the selected temperature. Weather, insulation, room size, zones in use and thermostat settings affect the energy required. Heating and cooling need separate energy assumptions.

Use representative measured kWh when available. It already includes the operation observed, so do not reduce it again for duty cycle. If you enter average electrical watts measured over the whole period, use 100% duty cycle.

The calculator does not apply a standard COP or infer electrical input from capacity or a star rating. A short measurement also does not establish energy use for every season.

Compare costs for the same task

When comparing a split system, ducted system or portable heater, keep the area heated or cooled, comfort target and period comparable. The same number of operating hours alone does not mean the same heating or cooling service.

For time-of-use pricing, calculate the kWh in each tariff period at its own rate and add the costs. This single-rate estimate does not work out those periods for you. Supply charges are excluded because they normally remain payable when one appliance is turned off.

Common questions

How much does aircon cost per hour in Australia?

Multiply the average electrical input in kW for that hour by your rate in dollars per kWh. An illustrative constant 1 kW input at 30 c/kWh costs A$0.30 for an hour. Neither the input nor the rate is a typical or default value for your home.

Can I enter the 7 kW or 14 kW capacity on an air conditioner?

Only if the figure is explicitly electrical input power. Advertised cooling or heating capacity is thermal output. Check the model specifications or use measured kWh instead.

Does reverse-cycle heating use the same electricity as cooling?

Not necessarily. Mode, outdoor conditions, the temperature target and the building affect input and runtime. Use energy data for the mode and conditions you want to estimate.

Is leaving aircon on all day cheaper than switching it off?

There is no universal saving. Compare the total kWh and any time-of-use charges for schedules that meet your comfort needs. A constant-power hours calculation cannot predict the building temperature or the extra demand when restarting.

Should I use the whole time the air conditioner is switched on?

Use that time with an average electrical input for the same period. If you use active input and a duty cycle instead, do not also shorten the hours for the same off-time. Measured kWh already includes cycling.

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Sources and checking your inputs

Source review: 2 October 2026. Use the rate and energy units on your own tariff and product documentation. Report a correction.