How to Calculate Your Electricity Bill in Ghana (Step by Step)
Omek Expert Team
Home Appliance Specialists
Your ECG bill and your prepaid meter both count electricity in units. Once you know how many units an appliance uses, you can work out what it costs you — before you buy it, not after the bill arrives. All you need is the calculator on your phone.
The rates in this guide are the residential tariff set by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) from 1 July 2026. PURC has confirmed they stay the same from October to December 2026.
What is one unit of electricity?
One unit is one kilowatt-hour (kWh): the electricity used by something drawing 1,000 watts for one hour. A 2,000-watt kettle uses a unit in half an hour. A 100-watt appliance takes ten hours to use one.
Step 1: Find the appliance's watts
Look for the rating sticker or plate — on the back of a TV, inside a fridge door, on the side of an air conditioner's indoor unit, or under a kettle. It shows a number followed by W. If it only shows amps (A), multiply by 230, the voltage of Ghana's mains supply: 5 A × 230 = 1,150 W.
If you can't find it, these are typical figures:
| Appliance | Typical watts |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator (double door) | 200 W |
| Chest freezer | 250 W |
| Air conditioner (1.5 HP) | 1,200 W |
| Air conditioner (2.0 HP) | 1,800 W |
| Smart TV (43") | 75 W |
| Standing fan | 60 W |
| Washing machine | 500 W |
| Microwave | 1,000 W |
| Electric iron | 1,200 W |
| Electric kettle | 2,000 W |
Step 2: Turn watts into units
Watts × hours used a day ÷ 1,000 = units a day. Multiply by 30 for a month.
A 43-inch TV at 75 W, watched for 5 hours a day: 75 × 5 ÷ 1,000 = 0.375 units a day, or about 11 units a month.
Step 3: Allow for appliances that switch themselves off
A fridge is plugged in all day, but its compressor stops once the inside is cold and runs for only about a third of the time. An air conditioner does the same once the room has cooled. Multiplying their watts by every hour they are plugged in can overstate them as much as three times.
So count about a third of the hours for a fridge, and about two thirds for an air conditioner:
- Double-door fridge: 200 W × 24 hours × 0.35 ÷ 1,000 = 1.68 units a day, about 50 units a month.
- 1.5 HP air conditioner, 8 hours a night: 1,200 W × 8 hours × 0.65 ÷ 1,000 = 6.24 units a day, about 187 units a month.
Step 4: Find your rate
Homes are charged according to how many units they use in the month:
| Units used in the month | Price per unit | With levies and taxes |
|---|---|---|
| 30 or fewer (lifeline) | GH₵0.90 | about GH₵0.94 |
| 31 to 300 | GH₵2.04 | about GH₵2.51 |
| Above 300 | GH₵2.69 | about GH₵3.32 |
The lifeline rate is only for homes that use 30 units or fewer in the whole month. Go over 30 and none of your units are charged at it. A double-door fridge alone uses more than that, so most homes pay GH₵2.04 a unit or more.
Step 5: Add the levies and taxes
Every bill carries two levies: 3% for street lighting and 2% for national electrification. Above the lifeline band, VAT, NHIL and GETFund add a further 17.5%. Together that is about 23% on top of the energy charge, which is where the last column above comes from.
For most homes the rule of thumb is simple: units × GH₵2.51.
A worked example: a typical family home
A home with a double-door fridge, a 43-inch TV, two standing fans and one 1.5 HP air conditioner used at night:
| Appliance | Units a month | Cost a month |
|---|---|---|
| Double-door fridge | 50.4 | GH₵126.69 |
| 43" TV, 5 hours a day | 11.3 | GH₵28.28 |
| Two standing fans, 8 hours a day | 28.8 | GH₵72.40 |
| 1.5 HP air conditioner, 8 hours a night | 187.2 | GH₵470.58 |
| Total | 277.7 | GH₵697.95 |
That is about 278 units, inside the 31–300 band, so each unit costs about GH₵2.51 all in. Two things stand out. The air conditioner is two thirds of the bill on its own. And the home is only 22 units short of the next band, where each extra unit costs about GH₵3.32.
Your actual bill also carries a small fixed monthly service charge for the meter, which is the same however much you use.
Check your numbers against your meter
On a prepaid meter, note the units remaining, run the house as normal for 24 hours, and check again. The difference is your daily use; multiply by 30 for the month. If it is far above your estimate, switch appliances off one at a time to find the culprit. An older fridge or freezer with a worn door seal is a common one.
Expect to be close rather than exact: hours of use are estimates, hot weather makes fridges and air conditioners work harder, and the bill includes the service charge.
Or let the calculator do it
Our free electricity cost calculator does all of this for you. Pick your appliances, set the hours and your band, and it shows the units, levies and taxes line by line.
Bringing the bill down
The air conditioner and the fridge are the big items, so that is where changes pay off. An inverter model varies its compressor speed instead of switching fully on and off, which typically cuts running costs by a quarter to a third. More in these guides:
- How to reduce your electricity bill in Ghana
- How to cut what your air conditioner costs to run
- Inverter versus non-inverter appliances
When you are ready to upgrade, compare our air conditioners and refrigerators.
Common questions
How much is one unit of electricity in Ghana?
For most homes, GH₵2.04 before levies and taxes, or about GH₵2.51 all in. Above 300 units a month the rate rises to GH₵2.69 (about GH₵3.32 all in). Homes that use 30 units or fewer pay the lifeline rate of GH₵0.90.
How many units does a fridge use in a month?
A double-door fridge uses around 50 units a month and a single-door fridge about 30. It changes with how often the door is opened and how hot the kitchen is.
Does the lifeline rate apply to my first 30 units?
No. It only applies when the whole month's use is 30 units or fewer. Once you pass 30, all your units are charged at the higher rate.
How do I work out the cost of one appliance quickly?
Watts × hours a day ÷ 1,000 × 30 gives the units in a month. Multiply by GH₵2.51 for the cost. For a fridge or air conditioner, count a third or two thirds of the hours, as in Step 3.