Electricity basics
When Do Appliance Energy Savings Pay for Replacement?
Calculate simple appliance replacement payback using annual energy savings and the relevant upfront cost. Include installation and clearly state unknowns.
Divide the relevant extra upfront cost by positive annual energy savings. Use full replacement cost when comparing with keeping a working appliance. Simple payback has important limits.
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A lower-energy appliance can reduce electricity costs while adding an upfront expense. Simple payback asks how many years of estimated electricity savings would recover that expense.
It is one buying check, not a complete lifetime-cost calculation. The FTC's appliance guidance explains why energy, purchase price, and actual use all matter.
Identify the real alternative
If you need to buy an appliance anyway, compare the price difference between suitable choices. If your current appliance works safely, compare buying the replacement with keeping that appliance.
The second decision usually needs the full relevant replacement cost, not just a premium over another new product. Otherwise the estimate understates what you would actually spend.
Include known delivery, installation, disposal, and necessary changes. Subtract only rebates or credits whose eligibility and availability you have verified. Do not assume an advertised maximum rebate will apply.
Put both energy figures on the same basis
Use annual kWh for both choices. For measured daily use, multiply by an appropriate annual-use assumption and state seasonal limits. For cycle use, multiply by the realistic number of annual cycles.
Compare similar capacity and service. ENERGY STAR's refrigerator and dryer guidance discuss product differences that can affect the task and rated efficiency.
A measured old-appliance figure and a new standardized label can be useful inputs, but they are not identical test methods. Keep that uncertainty visible.
Calculate an original example
Suppose a hypothetical current appliance uses 900 kWh per year and a suitable replacement is estimated at 350 kWh. The energy difference is 550 kWh.
At an illustrative $0.20/kWh, annual electricity saving is $110. If the relevant replacement cost is $800, simple payback is $800 ÷ $110 = about 7.27 years.
These are illustrative inputs, not a typical refrigerator or dryer replacement. No model-specific rating or guaranteed saving is implied.
If the annual saving is zero or negative, electricity savings do not recover a positive replacement cost. Avoid forcing a payback result from a negative denominator.
Test important uncertainties
In the example, a lower $0.15/kWh rate produces $82.50 annual savings and about 9.70 years of payback. A $0.25/kWh rate produces $137.50 savings and about 5.82 years.
This sensitivity check shows how price assumptions affect the answer. It does not forecast future electricity prices. Energy-use uncertainty can change the result in the same way.
Check whether you expect to use the appliance for the estimated period. Repair costs, breakdown risk, financing, maintenance, and remaining useful life are outside simple payback unless separately evaluated.
Make the decision reviewable
- State whether the alternative is another purchase or keeping the current appliance.
- Record both energy sources and their assumptions.
- List the verified upfront costs and applicable incentives.
- Calculate annual savings at your current tariff.
- Show how uncertain energy or rates change the result.
Do not replace a safe working appliance solely because a generic article promises a three-year saving. Use your own evidence and intended ownership period.
The appliance comparison calculator shows annual electricity savings and simple payback. Add the other ownership factors before treating it as a final buying decision.
Sources
Source pages checked during research on 7 October 2026. Examples are Handy Daily calculations unless stated otherwise.