You can't always control the price of electricity, but you can control your home's energy consumption. Here's how to calculate it.

To calculate the cost to run an air conditioner for one hour, consider the unit’s wattage, the average cost of electricity in your state and the number of hours your unit runs daily.

If you leave one plugged in over time, it also helps you calculate the average watt-hour (or kilowatt-hour) usage of a specific appliance. That number can help you estimate how many hours you ...