How much does an electric water heater cost per month in Washington?

About $43.49 a month, assuming 3,500 kWh a year at 14.91¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does an electric water heater use?

Roughly 3,500 kWh a year under these assumptions.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

Washington has the 13th cheapest average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs less here than the U.S. average of $642 a year.

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Cost to run an electric water heater in Washington (June 2026 rates)

At 14.91¢ per kilowatt-hour — Washington's average residential price in June 2026 — running an electric water heater costs $522 a year. That is 19% less than the national average of $642. Washington's residential rate is up 15.0% from June 2025, which moves this appliance from $454 to $522 a year.

Per day: $1.43
Per month: $43.49
Per year: $522

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. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How Washington compares

Washington pays 14.91¢/kWh, the 13th cheapest residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $120 less a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same electric water heater costs $459 a year in Nevada and $1,845 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $1,386 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
North Carolina	14.74¢	$42.99	$516
Mississippi	14.88¢	$43.40	$521
Washington	14.91¢	$43.49	$522
New Mexico	15.06¢	$43.93	$527
Florida	15.10¢	$44.04	$528

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for an electric water heater.

What else costs about the same in Washington

Electric car$567 a year in WA Hot tub$373 a year in WA Central air conditioner$351 a year in WA

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 much does an electric water heater cost per month in Washington?: About $43.49 a month, assuming 3,500 kWh a year at 14.91¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does an electric water heater use?: Roughly 3,500 kWh a year under these assumptions.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: Washington has the 13th cheapest average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs less here than the U.S. average of $642 a year.