What electric space heating costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 1,810 kWh a year on electric space heating. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $173.52 to $612.96 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $439.44 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Cheapest 25 of 39 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $163.80 | −$9.72 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $163.80 | −$9.72 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $173.52 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $173.52 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $173.52 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $173.52 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $187.68 | +$14.16 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $198.60 | +$25.08 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $201.36 | +$27.84 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $204.36 | +$30.84 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $226.20 | +$52.68 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $227.52 | +$54.00 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $229.80 | +$56.28 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $230.76 | +$57.24 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $259.20 | +$85.68 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $290.16 | +$116.64 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $290.16 | +$116.64 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $301.32 | +$127.80 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $301.32 | +$127.80 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $433.56 | +$260.04 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $446.64 | +$273.12 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $446.64 | +$273.12 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $450.24 | +$276.72 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $456.48 | +$282.96 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $456.48 | +$282.96 | 26.5¢ |
14 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $612.96 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $24.12 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $85.44, a $61.32 spread
- Average — cheapest $173.52 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $612.96, a $439.44 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $205.44 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $725.76, a $520.32 spread
What electric space heating costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, electric space heating adds $173.52 to $612.96 a year — $14.46 to $51.08 a month. The median plan puts electric space heating at $450.24 a year.
Cheapest for electric space heating: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 1,810 kWh are billed at 9.6¢–33.9¢, against a 26.0¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 7.8¢ per kWh.
What Massachusetts homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 1,810 kWh a year across 223 sampled homes that run one, 27% under the national 2,484 kWh. The middle half spans 252 kWh to 2,143 kWh, so electric space heating varies by 1,891 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 — 42% of homes here, against 52% nationally.
That makes electric space heating about 25% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 5,427 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 252 kWh a year and pays $24.12 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 2,143 kWh and pays $205.44 — $181.32 more for electric space heating on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Massachusetts, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 39 Massachusetts 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 42.3601, -71.0589.