How Much Does It Cost to Run a Garbage Disposal? (2026)

A garbage disposal runs for seconds at a time. A half-horsepower unit draws around 550 watts, so even daily use adds only a few kWh a year.

A typical garbage disposal (550 W) costs $0.10 per hour, or about $0.15 per month at 0.05 hours a day in the US. Cheap to run

Electricity price region

Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low 375 W	$0.069	$0.003	$0.10	$1.26
Typical 550 W	$0.10	$0.005	$0.15	$1.84
High 750 W	$0.14	$0.007	$0.21	$2.51

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.05 h/day ≈ 10 kWh per year.

One hour of a garbage disposal (0.55 kWh) is the same electricity as

Electricity per year at typical use, on a log scale: #10 of 95 appliances, from least to most.

Around the world per year at typical use, local prices

How to lower the cost of running a garbage disposal

Run cold water, not hot, while grinding. Heating water costs more than the disposal.
Grind in small batches to avoid stalling the motor.
Keep it clear of fibrous scraps that make it run longer.

How much electricity does a garbage disposal use?

Around 3 to 5 kWh a year with daily use, almost nothing on the bill.

Does a garbage disposal raise the water bill?

Slightly, since it needs running water while it works.

What is the biggest running cost of a disposal?

Water and, if you use hot water, the energy to heat it.

US states

Canadian provinces