Home › Appliances › Electric baseboard heater

How much does it cost to run an electric baseboard heater?

At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running an electric baseboard heater costs about $245 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.

Assumption: 1,500 W at a 50% duty cycle, 12 hours a day, 150 days a year — 1,350 kWh a year. Per 6-foot section. A whole house typically has several running at once, so multiply by the number of sections in use.

Cost by state

Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.

Cutting the number down

• Resistance heat is 1 kWh in, 1 kWh of heat out. There is no efficiency upgrade available; the only lever is running fewer of them, less often.
• Furniture pushed against a baseboard blocks convection and makes the thermostat run the element longer.
• Zoning by room is the built-in advantage. Turning unused rooms down to 55 F is where the savings live.

Questions

How many watts does an electric baseboard heater use?

About 1,500 W while running, though it cycles on and off, so average draw is 750 W.

How much does an electric baseboard heater cost per month?

About $20.43 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $245 a year.

Where is it cheapest to run?

Nevada, at $172 a year, versus $637 in Hawaii — a spread of $465.