Electricity tariff Singapore Q4 2026: appliance running costs

What an appliance costs to run is its energy use in kWh multiplied by your electricity rate per kWh: watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × rate. For 1 October to 31 December 2026, SP Group’s tariff page gives the electricity tariff in Singapore as 31.16 cents per kWh with GST, or 28.59 cents before GST (read on 19 October 2026). This guide costs three appliances at that rate, at the 27 cents per kWh on which NEA’s energy label bases its estimated annual cost, and at a higher placeholder, so you can see whether hours or rate moves the answer.

If your electricity comes through a retailer’s plan, swap in the rate on your own bill; the method and examples work at any rate. For ticks versus kWh, see our energy label guide.

What is the electricity tariff for October to December 2026?

SP Group’s tariff page gives 31.16 cents per kWh, or 28.59 cents per kWh before GST, for 1 October to 31 December 2026. The page says electricity tariffs are regulated by the Energy Market Authority and revised quarterly to reflect the actual cost of electricity, and that the energy cost part of the tariff is adjusted every quarter for the cost of fuel and power generation.

In its release of 30 September 2026, SP Group said the household tariff before GST fell by 10.4%, or 3.32 cents per kWh, compared with the previous quarter because of lower energy costs, and that the average monthly bill for families in HDB four-room flats would fall by S$12.99 before GST. It also said global fuel prices had risen since September 2026 and that, should this persist, tariffs are expected to increase for the following quarter.

So treat 31.16 cents as the rate up to 31 December 2026 only. If your electricity comes through a retailer’s plan, use the rate on that plan and your bill instead, and note the date you read it.

What rate and hours does NEA’s energy label assume?

NEA’s energy label page (last updated 1 July 2026) says the annual energy cost on the label is based on 27 cents per kWh of electricity and these assumptions:

• Single-phase air-conditioners: 8 hours of use and 16 hours of standby a day
• Refrigerators: 24 hours a day
• Clothes dryers: 3 laundry loads a week
• Televisions: 5 hours a day
• Electric instantaneous and storage water heaters: 3 showers a day, with delivered water at 33.5°C for instantaneous and 35°C for storage heaters

The 27 cents is not on every label: the page gives 15 cents per kWh for three-phase VRF air-conditioners and 22 cents per kWh of gas for gas instantaneous water heaters. The label also carries the disclaimer ‘Actual energy consumption and cost may vary.’ The page does not say whether the 27 cents includes GST, and it is below the 31.16 cents tariff, so a label’s annual cost understates the same kWh at today’s tariff: a label figure of S$189.00 (700 kWh at 27 cents) is S$218.12 at 31.16 cents (700 × 0.3116).

How do I work out running cost from the label or from watts?

From the label’s kWh. Multiply the annual kWh by a usage factor, then by your rate in dollars (cents ÷ 100). These factors are our method, built from NEA’s assumptions above, not NEA’s:

• Air-conditioner: your hours a day ÷ 8. Cooling for 6 hours gives 0.75, and 10 hours gives 1.25. This is approximate: the label figure combines use and standby, and this scaling treats both alike. NEA’s tick-rating page (last updated 1 July 2026) sets standby limits for some tick bands, such as 18 W or less for a 4-tick single-split model and 4 W or less for 5-tick, so standby is worth asking about.
• Refrigerator: use the label figure as it is, since it already assumes 24 hours.
• Television: your hours a day ÷ 5.
• Clothes dryer: your loads a week ÷ 3.
• Water heater: your showers a day ÷ 3, as a rough guide only, because the label figure assumes a fixed delivered water temperature.

From watts. If an appliance has no label figure, or you want a cross-check, kWh a year = watts × hours a day × days ÷ 1,000, then multiply by your rate. A rated wattage can differ from what the appliance draws in use, so treat the result as an estimate. To try your own figures, use the appliance running cost calculator.

Worked example: the same appliances at three rates

Every appliance figure below is invented for illustration and is not taken from any model’s label. 27 cents is NEA’s label figure, 31.16 cents is SP Group’s tariff with GST for 1 October to 31 December 2026, and 40 cents is a placeholder to show a higher rate, not a tariff or forecast. Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent.

A television, from watts. A 120 W television used 5 hours a day for 365 days: 120 × 5 × 365 ÷ 1,000 = 219 kWh a year. That is S$59.13 at 27 cents, S$68.24 at 31.16 cents (219 × 0.3116) and S$87.60 at 40 cents.

A bedroom air-conditioner, from the label. Suppose the label shows 700 kWh a year, which at 27 cents would be about S$189.00 (700 × 0.27). Cooling 6 hours a day gives a factor of 0.75, so 525 kWh; 10 hours gives 1.25, so 875 kWh.

• 6 hours a day: S$141.75 at 27 cents, S$163.59 at 31.16 cents, S$210.00 at 40 cents
• 10 hours a day: S$236.25 at 27 cents, S$272.65 at 31.16 cents, S$350.00 at 40 cents

In this example the extra four hours a day add S$109.06 a year at 31.16 cents (272.65 − 163.59), or S$94.50 at 27 cents (236.25 − 141.75). Both are more than the S$68.25 added by moving from 27 to 40 cents at 6 hours (210.00 − 141.75), so hours of use moved the cost more than the rate did.

Two refrigerators and a payback. Fridge X uses 350 kWh a year and Fridge Y uses 250 kWh, so Y saves 100 kWh a year. Y costs S$300 more.

• At 27 cents: X costs S$94.50 and Y costs S$67.50, a saving of S$27.00 a year. S$300 ÷ S$27.00 is about 11.1 years.
• At 31.16 cents: X costs S$109.06 and Y costs S$77.90, a saving of S$31.16 a year. S$300 ÷ S$31.16 is about 9.6 years.
• At 40 cents: X costs S$140.00 and Y costs S$100.00, a saving of S$40.00. S$300 ÷ S$40.00 is 7.5 years.

A higher rate shortens the payback and a lower one lengthens it. Whether Y is worth S$300 more also depends on how long you expect to keep the fridge. If you hold vouchers, count them once: our Climate Vouchers guide covers eligibility.

What to check before you buy

1. Copy the kWh figure from each label and note the hours or loads it assumes.
2. Find the rate per kWh on your latest bill or retailer plan, and note the date. SP Group’s tariff is 31.16 cents per kWh with GST until 31 December 2026.
3. Rescale the label for your hours, loads or showers, or work it out from watts if there is no label figure.
4. Cost the difference between models at your rate and at least two other rates, such as NEA’s 27 cents and a higher one.
5. Set the yearly saving against the price gap over the years you expect to keep the appliance, including any voucher you will really use.
6. Check your rate again from 1 January 2027.

If an old appliance still works, our repair-or-replace decision rule covers that choice. For wider price comparisons, see our year-end sales price check and the comparing topic.

Common questions