How much does a clothes iron cost per month in California?

About 40.9¢ a month, assuming 1,100 W at a 50% duty cycle, 18 minutes a day, 100 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a clothes iron use?

Roughly 16 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.55 kWh for every hour it runs.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

California has the 4th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $3.00 a year.

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Cost to run a clothes iron in California (August 2026 rates)

At 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in August 2026 — running a clothes iron costs $4.91 a year. That is 64% more than the national average of $3.00. California's residential rate is down 3.8% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $5.10 to $4.91 a year.

Per hour: 16.4¢
Per day of use: 4.9¢
Per month: 40.9¢
Per year: $4.91

Assumption: 1,100 W at a 50% duty cycle, 18 minutes a day, 100 days a year — 16 kWh a year. Thermostatic, so it cycles rather than drawing continuously. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How California compares

California pays 29.75¢/kWh, the 4th most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $1.91 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same clothes iron costs $2.10 a year in Nevada and $7.78 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $5.69 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	28.65¢	39.4¢	$4.73
Alaska	29.41¢	40.4¢	$4.85
California	29.75¢	40.9¢	$4.91
Massachusetts	30.48¢	41.9¢	$5.03
Maine	32.11¢	44.2¢	$5.30

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a clothes iron.

What else costs about the same in California

Led bulb$4.89 a year in CA String of christmas lights$2.01 a year in CA Smart speaker$7.82 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

Ironing a batch on one heat-up costs far less than heating the plate from cold for each shirt.

Questions

How much does a clothes iron cost per month in California?: About 40.9¢ a month, assuming 1,100 W at a 50% duty cycle, 18 minutes a day, 100 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a clothes iron use?: Roughly 16 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.55 kWh for every hour it runs.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: California has the 4th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $3.00 a year.