What an electric water heater costs to run in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania homes use 3,034 kWh a year on an electric water heater. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $303.36 to $680.40 a year across 11 published Pennsylvania plans — a $377.04 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service Add-On Heat Pumptime-of-use · needs a heat pump | $209.84 | −$93.52 | 8.4¢ |
| Residential Service Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $292.08 | −$11.28 | 11.2¢ |
| Residential Service✓ cheapestflat rate | $303.36 | — | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Heating Service (RH)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $305.72 | +$2.36 | 11.4¢ |
| Residential Service (R)flat rate | $353.40 | +$50.04 | 13.0¢ |
| Residential Service Add-On Heat Pumptime-of-use · needs a heat pump | $593.34 | +$289.98 | 21.1¢ |
| Residential Heating Service (RH)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $616.32 | +$312.96 | 21.6¢ |
| Residential Service Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $634.02 | +$330.66 | 22.4¢ |
| Residential Service (R) - TOUtime-of-use | $654.21 | +$350.85 | 22.9¢ |
| Residential Service (R)flat rate | $663.84 | +$360.48 | 23.2¢ |
| Residential Serviceflat rate | $680.40 | +$377.04 | 23.9¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $131.04 (Residential Service), dearest $293.88, a $162.84 spread
- Average — cheapest $303.36 (Residential Service), dearest $680.40, a $377.04 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $405.36 (Residential Service), dearest $909.12, a $503.76 spread
What an electric water heater costs here
Across 11 plans priced in Pennsylvania, an electric water heater adds $303.36 to $680.40 a year — $25.28 to $56.70 a month. The median plan puts an electric water heater at $654.21 a year.
Cheapest for an electric water heater: Residential Service, Duquesne Light Co. Dearest: Residential Service, Duquesne Light Co.
Those 3,034 kWh are billed at 10.0¢–22.4¢, against a 22.9¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Pennsylvania homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 3,034 kWh a year across 282 sampled homes that run one, near the national 2,706 kWh. The middle half spans 1,310 kWh to 4,054 kWh, so an electric water heater varies by 2,743 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 — 45% of homes here.
That makes an electric water heater about 30% of the electricity a Pennsylvania home uses. The remaining 7,215 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 Pennsylvania provider's cheapest plan: Duquesne Light Co, $303.36; PECO Energy Co, $353.40.
PECO Energy Co charges $50.04 a year more than Duquesne Light Co on Residential Service for the same 3,034 kWh.
Light and heavy use of an electric water heater
A household in the lighter quarter runs an electric water heater for 1,310 kWh a year and pays $131.04 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 4,054 kWh and pays $405.36 — $274.32 more for an electric water heater on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Pennsylvania, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 11 Pennsylvania 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 40.4406, -79.9959.