Editorial Policy

Purpose and scope

WattCostGuide publishes educational calculators and guides that help readers estimate appliance electricity use and running cost. Results are planning estimates, not utility billing, engineering, financial, or product purchase advice.

Calculation standards

Cost estimates use the same visible formula across the site. Watts are converted to kilowatts, multiplied by runtime, and then multiplied by the electricity rate entered by the reader.

Cost = Watts / 1000 x Hours Used x Electricity Rate

Default wattage, runtime, and rate values are starting points. Readers are encouraged to replace them with an appliance nameplate, product manual, power-meter reading, and their own utility rate.

Sources

We prefer first-party and authoritative sources such as the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR, utility documentation, appliance labels, owner manuals, and manufacturer specifications. Calculator pages identify the sources used for their method and operating context.

Review the site methodology and primary references.

Review and update dates

Calculator pages carry an independent last-reviewed date. A date changes when the page's assumptions, sources, calculation examples, or substantive explanations are reviewed. Minor formatting changes alone do not imply that every factual claim was newly reviewed.

Advertising independence

Advertising does not determine calculator results, wattage assumptions, conclusions, or source selection. Sponsored placement, if introduced, will be labeled and kept separate from editorial calculations.

Corrections and reader feedback

Readers can report unclear assumptions, broken sources, calculation issues, or appliance specifications. Substantive corrections are reviewed against reliable documentation and handled under the corrections policy.

Read the corrections policy.