What electric space heating costs to run in Illinois
Illinois homes use 2,370 kWh a year on electric space heating. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $252.16 to $252.16 a year across 24 published Illinois plans — a $0.00 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Single Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service-Unbundled)flat rate · delivery charges only | $36.00 | −$216.16 | 4.5¢ |
| Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service-Unbundled)flat rate · delivery charges only | $43.08 | −$209.08 | 3.6¢ |
| Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service)flat rate · delivery charges only | $65.76 | −$186.40 | 5.5¢ |
| BESH- Residential Single Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $73.79 | −$178.37 | 6.1¢ |
| BESH- Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $80.99 | −$171.17 | 5.3¢ |
| Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service-Unbundled)flat rate · delivery charges only | $82.80 | −$169.36 | 5.1¢ |
| RDS - Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $103.32 | −$148.84 | 6.7¢ |
| BESH- Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $103.55 | −$148.61 | 7.1¢ |
| RDS - Residential Single Family with Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $106.68 | −$145.48 | 7.6¢ |
| BESH- Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $120.71 | −$131.45 | 6.8¢ |
| RDS - Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $147.36 | −$104.80 | 8.4¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential Income Qualified Senior Citizen (Rate 37)time-of-use · income-qualified rate | $214.28 | −$37.88 | 10.1¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential Income Qualified Senior Citizen - Southern View (Rate 36)time-of-use · income-qualified rate | $214.28 | −$37.88 | 10.1¢ |
| BES - Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $224.00 | −$28.16 | 11.8¢ |
| BES - Residential Single Family with Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $225.16 | −$27.00 | 12.6¢ |
| Regular Residential- Southern View Senior Citizen (Rate 32)time-of-use · senior citizens only | $227.48 | −$24.68 | 10.7¢ |
| Regular Residential - Senior Citizen (Rate 33)time-of-use · senior citizens only | $227.48 | −$24.68 | 10.7¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential (Rate 34)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $237.36 | −$14.80 | 11.3¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential - Southern View (Rate 35)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $237.36 | −$14.80 | 11.3¢ |
| Regular Residential - Southern View (Rate 31)✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $252.16 | — | 11.9¢ |
| Regular Residential (Rate 30)time-of-use | $252.16 | +$0.00 | 11.9¢ |
| BES - Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $265.84 | +$13.68 | 13.4¢ |
| BES - Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $299.40 | +$47.24 | 15.4¢ |
| RDS - Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $487.32 | +$235.16 | 23.3¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $37.68 (Regular Residential (Rate 30)), dearest $37.68
- Average — cheapest $252.16 (Regular Residential - Southern View (Rate 31)), dearest $252.16, a $0.00 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $306.96 (Regular Residential (Rate 30)), dearest $306.96
What electric space heating costs here
Across 24 plans priced in Illinois, electric space heating adds $252.16 to $252.16 a year — $21.01 to $21.01 a month. The median plan puts electric space heating at $252.16 a year.
Cheapest for electric space heating: Regular Residential - Southern View (Rate 31), City of Springfield, Illinois (Utility Company). Dearest: Regular Residential (Rate 30), City of Springfield, Illinois (Utility Company).
Those 2,370 kWh are billed at 10.6¢–10.6¢, against a 11.9¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Illinois homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 2,370 kWh a year across 196 sampled homes that run one, near the national 2,484 kWh. The middle half spans 354 kWh to 2,885 kWh, so electric space heating varies by 2,530 kWh between one household and another.
All electricity used for space heating, including the furnace or heat-pump compressor and the air handler that moves the heat around the house. That average covers homes heated with electricity — 39% of homes here, against 52% nationally.
That makes electric space heating about 28% of the electricity an Illinois home uses. The remaining 6,082 kWh is what electric space heating is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of electric space heating
A household in the lighter quarter runs electric space heating for 354 kWh a year and pays $37.68 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 2,885 kWh and pays $306.96 — $269.28 more for electric space heating on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Illinois, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 24 Illinois tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 39.7817, -89.6501.