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How much does it cost to run an electric water heater?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running an electric water heater costs about $636 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per day
- $1.74
- Per month
- $52.97
- Per year
- $636
Assumption: 3,500 kWh a year. A 50-gallon resistance tank for a household of three or four. This is typically the largest or second-largest electric load in a home without electric heat.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $37.10 | $445 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $37.54 | $450 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $38.82 | $466 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $38.82 | $466 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $39.00 | $468 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $39.14 | $470 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $39.49 | $474 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $40.25 | $483 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $41.91 | $503 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $42.09 | $505 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $42.09 | $505 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $42.67 | $512 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $43.23 | $519 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $43.60 | $523 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $43.72 | $525 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $43.90 | $527 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $44.19 | $530 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $45.12 | $541 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $45.41 | $545 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $45.97 | $552 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $46.38 | $556 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $46.40 | $557 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $46.43 | $557 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $46.73 | $561 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $47.57 | $571 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $47.63 | $572 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $48.15 | $578 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $49.64 | $596 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $49.76 | $597 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $50.08 | $601 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $50.17 | $602 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $51.45 | $617 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $54.54 | $654 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $56.35 | $676 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $56.52 | $678 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $56.61 | $679 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $62.42 | $749 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $63.50 | $762 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $67.05 | $805 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $69.53 | $834 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $71.49 | $858 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $71.78 | $861 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $75.78 | $909 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $80.62 | $967 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $82.19 | $986 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $83.56 | $1,003 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $85.78 | $1,029 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $86.77 | $1,041 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $88.90 | $1,067 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $93.65 | $1,124 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $138 | $1,651 |
Cutting the number down
- A heat-pump water heater does the same job for roughly a third of the electricity, which is why it usually pays back faster than any other upgrade in the house.
- Dropping the setpoint from 140 F to 120 F cuts standby losses and scalding risk at once.
- An insulating blanket on an older tank pays for itself in a season; check the manufacturer's guidance first.
Questions
- How many watts does an electric water heater use?
- Usage is better expressed as 3,500 kWh a year.
- How much does an electric water heater cost per month?
- About $52.97 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $636 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $445 a year, versus $1,651 in Hawaii — a spread of $1,206.