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How much does it cost to run an electric heater?

Work out what any appliance costs to run per use, per month and per year on your own electricity rate — including what it draws on standby. Rates for all 50 states.

Showing US rates
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Using the US average of 18.44¢/kWh — the U.S. Energy Information Administration, May 2026.

Every electric heater is 100% efficient, so a 2 kW fan heater, oil filled radiator and halogen heater all cost the same per hour.

Rates vary widely across US — picking yours makes the answer far closer.
Wattage is on the rating plate or in the manual. Washing machines and dishwashers usually quote kWh per cycle instead.
Usage
W
min
kWh
Your tariff
¢/kWh
On your bill or in your online account. If you do not know it, the average for your area is filled in already.
W
Leave at 0 if you unplug it. Most things with a clock, light or remote draw 0.5–3 W.
Cost per use $1.48
Cost per year $537
Cost per month $44.75
Energy per use 8 kWh
Energy per year 2,912 kWh
Of which standby $0.00

Common cases

What drives the cost

Every electric heater is 100% efficient, and that is not marketing — all the electricity ends up as heat in the room, whatever the technology. A 2 kW fan heater, a 2 kW oil-filled radiator and a 2 kW halogen heater cost exactly the same per hour to run. What differs is how the heat feels and how quickly you notice it, not how much you pay.

This is why the only real savings are heating a smaller space, for less time, or with something that is not a resistive heater at all. A heat pump is the exception to the efficiency rule: it moves heat rather than making it, and delivers roughly three units of heat per unit of electricity, which is why it costs about a third as much for the same warmth.

How this is worked out

Electricity is billed per kilowatt hour. An appliance's kilowatt hours are its power in kilowatts multiplied by the hours it runs — so a 2,000 W appliance running for 30 minutes uses 1 kWh. Multiply that by your rate and you have the cost. The fixed monthly customer charge your utility adds is not included, because you pay it whether or not you switch anything on.

What this assumes

  • The appliance draws its rated power for the whole time it is on. Anything thermostatically controlled — ovens, heaters, refrigerators, air conditioners — cycles on and off, so the real figure is lower.
  • Your rate is flat all day. On a time-of-use plan the same appliance costs materially different amounts depending on when you run it, and peak rates can be several times the off-peak rate.
  • State averages come from the EIA and blend every utility in that state. Your own utility may be meaningfully above or below it, so use your bill where you can.
  • A year is 52 weeks of identical use, which overstates seasonal appliances and understates ones you use in bursts.
  • The rate filled in for you is an average that spreads fixed charges across a year's usage, so it sits above what one extra unit really costs. Entering the unit rate from your own bill gives a closer answer.

Questions

Which type of electric heater is cheapest to run?

None of them — at the same wattage they all cost the same per hour. Claims otherwise are about comfort or how quickly a room feels warm, not about energy. The genuine difference is a heat pump, which is not a resistive heater.

Is it cheaper to heat one room than the whole house?

Often, yes, if you genuinely only occupy one room. A 2 kW heater in a home office usually costs less per hour than running central heating for the whole house — but it is a poor deal if the rest of the house then gets cold enough to need heating anyway.

Does this include the monthly service charge?

No, deliberately. The fixed customer charge is billed for being connected at all, so it does not change when you run an appliance more or less. Including it would make every appliance look more expensive than it is.

Why is the default rate different from what I pay?

The figure filled in is the EIA state average across all utilities in your state. Rates inside a single state can vary widely between a municipal utility and an investor-owned one, so your bill is always the better number.

Where do I find the wattage?

On the nameplate — usually a label on the back, base or inside the door — or in the manual. It is written as W or kW. If it only lists amps, multiply amps by 120 for a standard outlet, or 240 for a large appliance circuit.

Sources

Rates from U.S. EIA for May 2026. Last reviewed September 3, 2026.