What an electric water heater costs to run, by state
Electricity used to heat water for washing, bathing and appliances.
Figures cover homes with an electric water heater. Each is the difference an electric water heater makes to a year’s bill on the cheapest and dearest published plan in that state, not a rate multiplied by a wattage.
Pilot data. 450 tariffs from 45 utilities, retrieved September 2, 2026. This is a sample, not national coverage — a utility missing here is one that has not been indexed yet.
| State | Used per year | Cheapest plan | Dearest plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Yorknot indexed | 2,116 kWh | $66.38 | $918.62 |
| New Jersey | 2,192 kWh | $151.06 | $595.52 |
| Washingtonnot indexed | 3,261 kWh | $170.88 | $496.68 |
| Colorado | 2,397 kWh | $177.53 | $391.84 |
| Texas | 2,655 kWh | $180.45 | $477.84 |
| Massachusetts | 2,026 kWh | $194.28 | $686.16 |
| Ohio | 2,849 kWh | $200.75 | $281.04 |
| Arizona | 2,375 kWh | $218.74 | $393.14 |
| Illinois | 2,123 kWh | $225.96 | $225.96 |
| Virginia | 3,156 kWh | $236.79 | $777.71 |
| North Carolina | 2,895 kWh | $252.58 | $421.73 |
| Californianot indexed | 1,694 kWh | $261.48 | $877.84 |
| Minnesotanot indexed | 3,021 kWh | $262.45 | $489.56 |
| Georgia | 3,263 kWh | $272.53 | $524.76 |
| Floridanot indexed | 2,354 kWh | $302.76 | $376.73 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,034 kWh | $303.36 | $680.40 |
| Michigan | 2,595 kWh | $365.28 | $613.48 |
| Oregon | 3,656 kWh | $412.58 | $698.76 |