How much does it cost to run an electric baseboard heater?
An electric baseboard heater drawing 1,500 watts, used 8 hours a day, uses about 12.00 kWh per day and costs about $2.33 per day, $70.90 per month, and $850.16 per year at the US average residential rate of 19.4¢/kWh. Enter your own wattage, hours, and state below for an exact figure.
Estimates only — based on typical wattages and average state rates, not your actual bill.
What drives the cost
Electric baseboard heat converts electricity to heat at essentially 100% efficiency, which sounds ideal but is actually the expensive end of home heating — a heat pump moves several times more heat per kilowatt-hour. Baseboard units are sized by length, roughly 250 watts per foot, and each is controlled by its own thermostat.
Cost at different daily usage
Same electric baseboard heater at 1,500 watts, run for different amounts of time, at 19.4¢/kWh.
| Usage | kWh/day | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 h/day | 6.00 kWh | $1.16 | $35.45 | $425.08 |
| 8 h/day | 12.00 kWh | $2.33 | $70.90 | $850.16 |
| 12 h/day | 18.00 kWh | $3.49 | $106.35 | $1,275.24 |
| 16 h/day | 24.00 kWh | $4.66 | $141.80 | $1,700.32 |
Cost by model power draw
Not all models are equal. At 8 h/day, here is what the range costs.
| Model | Power | kWh/day | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-draw model | 750 W | 6.00 kWh | $1.16 | $35.45 |
| Typical | 1,500 W | 12.00 kWh | $2.33 | $70.90 |
| High-draw model | 2,500 W | 20.00 kWh | $3.88 | $118.17 |
Cost by state
An electric baseboard heater at 1,500 W for 8 h/day, priced at each state's average residential rate.
| State | Rate | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.8¢ | $2.01 | $61.26 | $734.53 |
| Alaska | 28.2¢ | $3.39 | $103.12 | $1,236.47 |
| Arizona | 15.2¢ | $1.83 | $55.63 | $667.07 |
| Arkansas | 14.4¢ | $1.72 | $52.45 | $628.97 |
| California | 33.2¢ | $3.99 | $121.46 | $1,456.35 |
| Colorado | 16.2¢ | $1.94 | $59.03 | $707.81 |
| Connecticut | 27.4¢ | $3.28 | $99.98 | $1,198.81 |
| Delaware | 19.4¢ | $2.33 | $70.79 | $848.84 |
| District of Columbia | 25.4¢ | $3.05 | $92.78 | $1,112.52 |
| Florida | 15.2¢ | $1.82 | $55.41 | $664.45 |
| Georgia | 15.8¢ | $1.90 | $57.86 | $693.79 |
| Hawaii | 52.0¢ | $6.24 | $189.95 | $2,277.60 |
| Idaho | 12.3¢ | $1.48 | $45.11 | $540.93 |
| Illinois | 23.9¢ | $2.86 | $87.12 | $1,044.63 |
| Indiana | 18.1¢ | $2.18 | $66.30 | $794.97 |
| Iowa | 14.1¢ | $1.70 | $51.65 | $619.33 |
| Kansas | 15.1¢ | $1.82 | $55.27 | $662.69 |
| Kentucky | 15.0¢ | $1.80 | $54.72 | $656.12 |
| Louisiana | 14.2¢ | $1.70 | $51.69 | $619.77 |
| Maine | 28.6¢ | $3.44 | $104.58 | $1,253.99 |
| Maryland | 21.8¢ | $2.61 | $79.52 | $953.53 |
| Massachusetts | 28.8¢ | $3.46 | $105.27 | $1,262.32 |
| Michigan | 22.0¢ | $2.64 | $80.40 | $964.04 |
| Minnesota | 16.9¢ | $2.03 | $61.91 | $742.41 |
| Mississippi | 16.2¢ | $1.94 | $59.03 | $707.81 |
| Missouri | 13.7¢ | $1.64 | $49.97 | $599.18 |
| Montana | 14.7¢ | $1.76 | $53.59 | $642.55 |
| Nebraska | 13.6¢ | $1.63 | $49.64 | $595.24 |
| Nevada | 13.6¢ | $1.63 | $49.68 | $595.68 |
| New Hampshire | 27.3¢ | $3.28 | $99.83 | $1,197.05 |
| New Jersey | 23.3¢ | $2.79 | $85.00 | $1,019.23 |
| New Mexico | 14.1¢ | $1.69 | $51.58 | $618.46 |
| New York | 29.9¢ | $3.59 | $109.33 | $1,310.93 |
| North Carolina | 15.1¢ | $1.81 | $55.12 | $660.94 |
| North Dakota | 13.6¢ | $1.63 | $49.71 | $596.12 |
| Ohio | 19.5¢ | $2.34 | $71.30 | $854.98 |
| Oklahoma | 13.4¢ | $1.61 | $48.87 | $586.04 |
| Oregon | 16.3¢ | $1.95 | $59.43 | $712.63 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.6¢ | $2.59 | $78.72 | $943.89 |
| Rhode Island | 29.5¢ | $3.54 | $107.61 | $1,290.35 |
| South Carolina | 16.2¢ | $1.94 | $59.10 | $708.68 |
| South Dakota | 15.7¢ | $1.89 | $57.46 | $688.97 |
| Tennessee | 14.5¢ | $1.74 | $52.86 | $633.79 |
| Texas | 16.4¢ | $1.97 | $60.05 | $720.07 |
| Utah | 13.0¢ | $1.56 | $47.34 | $567.65 |
| Vermont | 24.9¢ | $2.99 | $90.92 | $1,090.18 |
| Virginia | 17.6¢ | $2.11 | $64.33 | $771.32 |
| Washington | 14.9¢ | $1.79 | $54.61 | $654.81 |
| West Virginia | 16.8¢ | $2.02 | $61.37 | $735.84 |
| Wisconsin | 19.7¢ | $2.37 | $72.11 | $864.61 |
| Wyoming | 14.8¢ | $1.78 | $54.06 | $648.24 |
How to cut the cost
- Heat only occupied rooms; per-room thermostats are the main advantage of baseboard heat, so use them.
- Keep furniture and curtains clear of the units so convection works and the thermostat reads correctly.
- Consider a programmable line-voltage thermostat to cut overnight and away-from-home use.
- If you are heating with baseboard full time, a mini-split heat pump usually costs far less per unit of heat delivered.
Compare with related appliances
Monthly cost at typical usage and 19.4¢/kWh.
Questions
Is electric baseboard heat expensive?
Relative to a heat pump, yes. It is efficient in the narrow sense that all the electricity becomes heat, but a heat pump delivers several times more heat for the same electricity.
How many watts is a baseboard heater?
About 250 watts per foot of length, so a typical 6-foot unit is around 1,500 watts. Multiple units on separate thermostats are common.
How do you calculate what an electric baseboard heater costs to run?
Multiply its wattage by the hours it runs per day, divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by your electricity rate. For an electric baseboard heater: 1,500 W × 8 h ÷ 1,000 = 12.00 kWh per day, which at 19.4¢/kWh is $2.33 per day.
How many watts does an electric baseboard heater use?
Typically 1,500 watts, with most models falling between 750 and 2,500 watts. The label on the appliance or its power supply gives the figure for your specific unit.