What a pool pump costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 1,908 kWh a year on a pool pump. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $183.00 to $646.08 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $463.08 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 | $172.56 | −$10.44 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $172.56 | −$10.44 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $183.00 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $183.00 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $183.00 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $183.00 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $197.76 | +$14.76 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $209.28 | +$26.28 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $212.28 | +$29.28 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $215.40 | +$32.40 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $238.32 | +$55.32 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $239.88 | +$56.88 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $242.28 | +$59.28 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $243.24 | +$60.24 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $273.24 | +$90.24 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $305.88 | +$122.88 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $305.88 | +$122.88 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $317.64 | +$134.64 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $317.64 | +$134.64 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $456.96 | +$273.96 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $470.88 | +$287.88 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $470.88 | +$287.88 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $474.60 | +$291.60 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $481.20 | +$298.20 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $481.20 | +$298.20 | 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 $646.08 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 $81.60 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $287.88, a $206.28 spread
- Average — cheapest $183.00 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $646.08, a $463.08 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $242.64 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $856.56, a $613.92 spread
What a pool pump costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, a pool pump adds $183.00 to $646.08 a year — $15.25 to $53.84 a month. The median plan puts a pool pump at $474.60 a year.
Cheapest for a pool pump: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 1,908 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 1,908 kWh a year across 43 sampled homes that run one, 20% under the national 2,384 kWh. The middle half spans 850 kWh to 2,530 kWh, so a pool pump varies by 1,679 kWh between one household and another.
The circulation pump and its filtration cycle. Pool heating is not included. That average covers homes with a pool pump — 6% of homes here.
That makes a pool pump about 26% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 5,329 kWh is what a pool pump 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 a pool pump
A household in the lighter quarter runs a pool pump for 850 kWh a year and pays $81.60 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 2,530 kWh and pays $242.64 — $161.04 more for a pool pump 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.