Irrigation Cost Calculator & Per Irrigation, Season & Acre
Costs electric pumps
Know what irrigation really costs — from your pump, hours and energy price get the cost per irrigation, per season and per acre, for an electric or diesel pump.
Enter your pump & schedule
Next: cut the running cost with an efficient (BEE-star / well-matched) pump, run on off-peak tariff, switch to drip/sprinkler to slash hours, or move to solar pumping to drop energy cost to near zero.
Energy = power × hours (electric) or L/h × hours (diesel); cost = energy × tariff/price, plus labour per irrigation.
Irrigation cost — key facts
- Electric energy
- kW × hours = kWh
- Diesel use
- L/h × hours
- Cost/irrigation
- energy cost + labour
- Season cost
- × irrigations
- Cost/acre
- season ÷ area
- 1 HP
- ≈ 0.746 kW
- Cheapest
- usually electric, then solar
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
Put a number on every watering
Pumping water is one of the biggest running costs on an irrigated farm, yet many farmers never separate it out — it disappears into the electricity bill or the diesel can. Knowing the cost per irrigation, per season and per acre turns a vague expense into a number you can manage: it shows which crops and water sources pay, and where switching pump, tariff or method would save real money.
This tool costs an electric or diesel pump from its power or fuel use, hours, energy price, labour and the season's irrigations. Diesel almost always costs several times more than electric power per watering — a clear flag to consider grid or solar. Use it alongside the Pump Power tool (to size the pump and head) and the Solar Pump ROI tool (to value switching off diesel).
Budget the season
Cost per irrigation × the season's waterings, per acre.
Electric vs diesel
See how much more diesel pumping costs than power.
Find the savings
Test off-peak tariffs, efficient pumps and drip.
Justify solar
A high diesel cost flags a fast solar-pump payback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate irrigation cost?+
Work out the energy per irrigation — for an electric pump, power (kW) × hours; for diesel, litres/hour × hours — multiply by the energy price, add labour, and that's the cost per irrigation. Times the number of irrigations gives the season cost, and dividing by area gives cost per acre. This tool does it all.
What does it cost to run an electric pump?+
Energy use is the pump's power in kilowatts × running hours, costed at your electricity tariff. A 5 kW pump run 4 hours uses 20 kWh; at ₹7/kWh that's ₹140 of electricity per irrigation, plus labour. Many farms get subsidised or flat-rate power, which changes the comparison — enter your real tariff.
What does a diesel pump cost to run?+
Diesel use is the engine's litres per hour × running hours, costed at the diesel price. A pump burning 3 L/h for 4 hours uses 12 litres; at ₹90/L that's ₹1,080 per irrigation, far more than typical electric power — which is why diesel pumping is the prime candidate for switching to solar or grid.
How much does it cost to irrigate one acre for a season?+
It depends on the pump, hours per irrigation, energy price and how many irrigations the crop needs. The tool multiplies the per-irrigation cost by the season's irrigations and divides by your area to give a clear cost per acre — useful for budgeting and comparing crops or water sources.
Why include labour in irrigation cost?+
Someone has to start, watch and shift the pump and water each time — a real, recurring cost that's easy to overlook. Including labour per irrigation gives the true running cost, especially for flood irrigation that needs constant attention versus largely automatic drip or sprinkler systems.
How can I cut irrigation costs?+
Use an efficient, correctly-sized pump and pipe (less friction, fewer hours); irrigate at off-peak tariffs where time-of-day pricing applies; switch from diesel to grid or solar; and adopt drip or sprinkler to apply less water more precisely. The tool lets you test each change's effect on cost.
Is diesel or electric cheaper for irrigation?+
Electric is almost always far cheaper per unit of water than diesel, often by several times, and electric pumps need less maintenance. Diesel's only advantage is mobility and independence from the grid. Compare your real tariff and diesel price in the tool to see the gap for your setup.
How do I convert HP to kW for an electric pump?+
Multiply horsepower by 0.746 to get kilowatts (e.g. a 5 HP pump ≈ 3.7 kW input, more allowing for motor inefficiency). Use the pump's input power (the electricity it draws), not just the rated output, for an accurate energy figure. Enter the kW in the tool.
Should I switch my diesel pump to solar?+
If you pump many hours a year on diesel, very likely — the diesel you'd save usually pays back a solar system in a few years, after which the water is nearly free. Use this tool to find your diesel cost, then the Solar Pump ROI tool to see the payback.
Does pumping cost depend on depth?+
Yes indirectly — deeper water and higher pressure need more pump power and longer running for the same volume, raising energy use. This tool uses your pump's actual power/fuel and hours, which already reflect the head; size the pump correctly first with the Pump Power tool.