What an electric water heater costs to run in Arizona
Arizona homes use 2,375 kWh a year on an electric water heater. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $218.74 to $393.14 a year across 28 published Arizona plans — a $174.40 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Cheapest 25 of 28 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Single Phase✓ cheapesttime-of-use · demand charge | $218.74 | — | 11.0¢ |
| Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Three Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $218.74 | — | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Service TOU Combined Advantage 7PM-Noon (ECT-2) [Frozen]time-of-use · demand charge · frozen | $219.15 | +$0.41 | 11.0¢ |
| Residential Service Peak Demand TRRESD (Single Phase)time-of-use · demand charge | $235.48 | +$16.74 | 11.7¢ |
| Residential Service Peak Demand TRRESD (Three Phase)time-of-use · demand charge | $235.48 | +$16.74 | 12.2¢ |
| Time Advantage 7pm to noontime-of-use | $236.03 | +$17.29 | 9.9¢ |
| Residential Service (Pilot Technology Rate) R-Techtime-of-use · demand charge · pilot programme | $238.48 | +$19.74 | 11.3¢ |
| Residential Service Standard (E-12) Low Incometime-of-use · tiered · low-income rate | $254.76 | +$36.02 | 10.1¢ |
| Residential Electric Service R-01 (Single Phase) Low Income Lifeline Programtime-of-use · tiered · low-income rate | $267.48 | +$48.74 | 10.6¢ |
| Residential Electric Service R-01 (Three Phase) Low Income Lifeline Programtime-of-use · tiered · low-income rate | $267.48 | +$48.74 | 11.0¢ |
| Residential Service (Saver Choice Plus)time-of-use · demand charge | $271.67 | +$52.93 | 12.6¢ |
| Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays with Demand Charge (R-3)time-of-use · demand charge | $278.12 | +$59.38 | 12.9¢ |
| Special Residential Electric Service Time-of-Use Program TRRSPT - Single Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $308.93 | +$90.19 | 14.2¢ |
| Special Residential Electric Service Time-of-Use Program TRRSPT - Three Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $308.93 | +$90.19 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Time-of-Use TRREST - Single Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $325.10 | +$106.36 | 14.9¢ |
| Residential Time-of-Use TRREST - Three Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $325.10 | +$106.36 | 15.4¢ |
| Special Residential Electric Service TRRSP - Three Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $336.27 | +$117.53 | 15.4¢ |
| Special Residential Electric Service TRRSP - Single Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $336.27 | +$117.53 | 14.9¢ |
| Residential Electric Service TRRES (Single Phase)time-of-use · tiered | $358.58 | +$139.84 | 15.9¢ |
| Residential Electric Service TRRES (Three Phase)time-of-use · tiered | $358.58 | +$139.84 | 16.3¢ |
| Residential Service TOU Time Advantage 7PM-Noon (ET-2) [Frozen]time-of-use · frozen | $362.07 | +$143.33 | 17.2¢ |
| Large Residential Service (Premier Choice Large) R-Basic L [Frozen]flat rate · frozen | $362.52 | +$143.78 | 17.0¢ |
| Residential Electric Vehicle Time-of-Use (R-EV)time-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $381.71 | +$162.97 | 17.3¢ |
| Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays (R-TOU-E)time-of-use | $393.14 | +$174.40 | 17.8¢ |
| Residential Service Standard (E-12) [Frozen]time-of-use · tiered · frozen | $393.90 | +$175.16 | 15.7¢ |
3 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $1,015.32 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 $110.40 (Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Single Phase), dearest $198.37, a $87.97 spread
- Average — cheapest $218.74 (Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Single Phase), dearest $393.14, a $174.40 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $287.37 (Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Single Phase), dearest $516.37, a $229.00 spread
What an electric water heater costs here
Across 28 plans priced in Arizona, an electric water heater adds $218.74 to $393.14 a year — $18.23 to $32.76 a month. The median plan puts an electric water heater at $308.93 a year.
Cheapest for an electric water heater: Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Single Phase, Tucson Electric Power Co. Dearest: Time-of-Use 4pm-7pm Weekdays (R-TOU-E), Arizona Public Service Co.
Those 2,375 kWh are billed at 9.2¢–16.6¢, against a 14.5¢ 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 2.1¢ per kWh.
What Arizona homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 2,375 kWh a year across 268 sampled homes that run one, near the national 2,706 kWh. The middle half spans 1,198 kWh to 3,119 kWh, so an electric water heater varies by 1,921 kWh between one household and another.
Electricity used to heat water for washing, bathing and appliances. That average covers homes with an electric water heater — 56% of homes here, against 47% nationally.
That makes an electric water heater about 17% of the electricity an Arizona home uses. The remaining 11,228 kWh is what an electric water heater is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
By provider
On each Arizona provider's cheapest plan: Tucson Electric Power Co, $218.74; Arizona Public Service Co, $236.03.
Arizona Public Service Co charges $17.29 a year more than Tucson Electric Power Co on Residential Demand Time-of-Use TRRESDT - Single Phase for the same 2,375 kWh.
Light and heavy use of an electric water heater
A household in the lighter quarter runs an electric water heater for 1,198 kWh a year and pays $110.40 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 3,119 kWh and pays $287.37 — $176.97 more for an electric water heater on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Arizona, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 28 Arizona 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 32.2226, -110.9747.