Home › Appliances › Pool pump
How much does it cost to run a pool pump?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a pool pump costs about $314 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 21.8¢
- Per day of use
- $1.74
- Per month
- $26.15
- Per year
- $314
Assumption: 1,200 W, 8 hours a day, 180 days a year — 1,728 kWh a year. A single-speed 1.5 HP pump. Variable-speed pumps running longer at low speed use a fraction of this.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $18.32 | $220 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $18.53 | $222 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $19.17 | $230 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $19.17 | $230 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $19.25 | $231 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $19.32 | $232 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $19.50 | $234 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $19.87 | $238 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $20.69 | $248 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $20.78 | $249 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $20.78 | $249 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $21.07 | $253 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $21.34 | $256 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $21.53 | $258 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $21.59 | $259 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $21.67 | $260 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $21.82 | $262 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $22.28 | $267 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $22.42 | $269 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $22.69 | $272 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $22.90 | $275 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $22.91 | $275 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $22.92 | $275 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $23.07 | $277 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $23.49 | $282 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $23.52 | $282 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $23.77 | $285 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $24.51 | $294 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $24.57 | $295 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $24.72 | $297 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $24.77 | $297 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $25.40 | $305 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $26.93 | $323 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $27.82 | $334 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $27.91 | $335 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $27.95 | $335 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $30.82 | $370 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $31.35 | $376 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $33.11 | $397 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $34.33 | $412 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $35.29 | $424 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $35.44 | $425 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $37.41 | $449 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $39.80 | $478 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $40.58 | $487 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $41.26 | $495 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $42.35 | $508 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $42.84 | $514 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $43.89 | $527 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $46.24 | $555 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $67.94 | $815 |
Cutting the number down
- Pump power rises roughly with the cube of speed, so running at half speed for twice as long uses about a quarter of the energy.
- Most pools are turned over more often than they need. Cutting an hour a day is free money all season.
- A variable-speed pump is one of the few upgrades that routinely pays back within two seasons.
Questions
- How many watts does a pool pump use?
- About 1,200 W while running.
- How much does a pool pump cost per month?
- About $26.15 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $314 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $220 a year, versus $815 in Hawaii — a spread of $595.