GE has made an interactive chart that lets you learn about how efficient different household appliances are and what they cost (in terms of both watts and dollars). It'll also show you how much better the Energy Star versions of these appliances do.
After playing around with the chart for a little bit, I've settled on this somewhat intuitive rule of thumb: If the appliance is large, and is made to change the temperature of things (refridgerator, air conditioner, clothes dryer, oven), it's going to cost a lot to operate.
People generally have a sketchy sense of their own energy use, so kudos to GE and Lisa Strausfeld for putting this together (though, of course, GE is in the happy position of benefitting when people upgrade their appliances). The next step in this march towards transparency is getting information like this that isn't based on averages but reflects the actual energy used by your actual stuff.
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