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How much does it cost to run an electric water heater?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running an electric water heater costs about $641 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per day
- $1.76
- Per month
- $53.40
- Per year
- $641
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $37.10 | $445 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $37.25 | $447 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $38.27 | $459 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $39.11 | $469 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $39.99 | $480 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | $40.05 | $481 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | $40.19 | $482 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | $40.28 | $483 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | $41.80 | $502 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | $41.85 | $502 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | $41.88 | $503 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | $42.41 | $509 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | $42.90 | $515 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | $43.72 | $525 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | $43.84 | $526 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $44.22 | $531 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | $44.54 | $534 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | $44.83 | $538 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | $44.86 | $538 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $45.12 | $541 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | $46.02 | $552 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | $46.32 | $556 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | $46.58 | $559 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | $46.64 | $560 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | $46.93 | $563 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | $46.93 | $563 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $47.45 | $569 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $47.83 | $574 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | $48.80 | $586 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | $49.58 | $595 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | $50.90 | $611 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $51.19 | $614 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | $53.90 | $647 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $55.59 | $667 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $56.06 | $673 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $56.73 | $681 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $62.45 | $749 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $63.35 | $760 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $67.23 | $807 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $69.27 | $831 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $70.47 | $846 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $73.47 | $882 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $73.53 | $882 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $77.58 | $931 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $82.51 | $990 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $84.09 | $1,009 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $87.21 | $1,046 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $88.93 | $1,067 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $94.53 | $1,134 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $98.03 | $1,176 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $140 | $1,680 |
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 $53.40 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $641 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $445 a year, versus $1,680 in Hawaii — a spread of $1,235.