What a water heater
costs to run
Meter reading
per year
1,015 kWh certified × 19.41¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 680 listed models
Default: US residential average, 19.41¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with your own rate, or pick your state below.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff US residential average 19.41¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$197.01 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified water heater uses 1,015 kWh a year, which at the US average residential price of 19.41¢ per kWh is $197.01 a year.
That is the national figure, and nobody is billed at a national figure: the same appliance costs $125.35 a year in Idaho and $527.80 in Hawaii.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is the US residential average, 19.41¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified model, cheapest to run first
Priced at the US average of 19.41¢/kWh. Nothing on this list is promoted or buried — it is the certified consumption in order.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friedrich PROH40 T2 FD400-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 2 | Rheem CPROPH40 T2 RH400-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 3 | Rheem CXE40T10H22U1 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 4 | Rheem ECEPH40 T2 RH400-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 5 | Rheem PROPH40 T2 RH375-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 6 | Rheem PROPH40 T2 RH400-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 7 | Rheem XE40T10H22U0 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 8 | Rheem XE40T10H22U1 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 9 | Richmond 10CE40-HP5U15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 10 | Richmond 10E40-HP515 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 11 | Richmond 10E40-HP5U15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 12 | Ruud PROUH40 T2 CD400-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 13 | Ruud PROUH40 T2 RU375-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 14 | Ruud PROUH40 T2 RU400-15 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 643 | $124.81 | saves $72.21 |
| 15 | Eco-Logical OMNI-50HP1-1A · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 681 | $132.18 | saves $64.83 |
| 16 | GE Profile PF40S10FPY01 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 724 | $140.53 | saves $56.48 |
| 17 | GE Profile PJ40S10FPY01 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 724 | $140.53 | saves $56.48 |
| 18 | Eco-Logical OMNI-50HP2-1A · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 769 | $149.26 | saves $47.75 |
| 19 | GE Profile PH40S10BPY01 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 773 | $150.04 | saves $46.97 |
| 20 | GE Profile PK50S10FNY01 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 773 | $150.04 | saves $46.97 |
| 21 | Friedrich PROH40 T0 FD120-M · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 780 | $151.40 | saves $45.61 |
| 22 | Friedrich PROH40 T0 FD120-MSO · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 780 | $151.40 | saves $45.61 |
| 23 | Rheem PROPH40 T0 RH120-M · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 780 | $151.40 | saves $45.61 |
| 24 | Rheem PROPH40 T0 RH120-MSO · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 780 | $151.40 | saves $45.61 |
| 25 | Rheem XE40T10HM00U0 · Hybrid/Electric Heat Pump | 780 | $151.40 | saves $45.61 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·680 certified water heaters on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same water heater on 51 tariffs
| State | Price per kWh | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $527.80 | $43.98 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $337.49 | $28.12 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $303.79 | $25.32 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $299.02 | $24.92 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $292.52 | $24.38 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $290.59 | $24.22 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $286.53 | $23.88 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $277.81 | $23.15 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $277.40 | $23.12 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $257.81 | $21.48 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $252.63 | $21.05 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $242.08 | $20.17 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $236.19 | $19.68 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $223.40 | $18.62 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $220.97 | $18.41 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $218.73 | $18.23 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $200.36 | $16.70 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $198.13 | $16.51 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $196.71 | $16.39 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $184.22 | $15.35 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $178.74 | $14.90 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $172.04 | $14.34 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $170.52 | $14.21 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $170.22 | $14.18 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $166.87 | $13.91 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $165.14 | $13.76 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $164.23 | $13.69 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $164.02 | $13.67 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $164.02 | $13.67 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $160.78 | $13.40 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $159.66 | $13.30 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $154.58 | $12.88 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $153.98 | $12.83 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $153.57 | $12.80 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $153.16 | $12.76 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $152.05 | $12.67 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $151.74 | $12.65 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $150.22 | $12.52 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $148.90 | $12.41 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $146.87 | $12.24 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $145.75 | $12.15 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $143.62 | $11.97 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $143.52 | $11.96 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $143.32 | $11.94 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $138.85 | $11.57 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $138.14 | $11.51 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $138.04 | $11.50 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $137.94 | $11.49 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $135.81 | $11.32 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $131.54 | $10.96 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $125.35 | $10.45 |
One certified water heater at the median consumption of 1,015 kWh a year, wired to 51 different tariffs. Same appliance, same duty cycle, same certification — only the tariff changes.
SOURCE·US EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A·retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Schedule notes
How much does it cost to run a water heater?
About $197.01 a year at the US average residential price of 19.41¢ per kWh, for a typical ENERGY STAR certified water heater using 1,015 kWh annually. Your own tariff decides the rest — put it into the terminal beside the register and the figure re-reads.
Which water heaters are cheapest to run?
The certified list runs from 643 to 1,741 kWh a year across 680 models, so at the US average the best costs $124.81 a year to run and the worst $337.93. The full ranking is on this page, in certified order, with nothing promoted.
Does the state I live in change the answer?
Considerably. The same water heater costs $125.35 a year in Idaho at 12.35¢ and $527.80 in Hawaii at 52.00¢. Every state is listed on this page.
