How Much Does It Cost to Run an Electric Fireplace?
Based on a 1,500 W electric fireplace running 5 hours a day with a 60% duty cycle, priced at the 2025 EIA residential average for every state. Change the state and hours below for your own number.
Updated Oct 16, 2026
Quick answer
Quick answer, US average (17.3 c/kWh)
About $23.36 a month
The same use costs $15.94 a month in North Dakota and $54.80 in Hawaii.
- Per hour
- $0.16
- with 60% cycling; $0.26 at full 1,500 W
- Per day
- $0.78
- 5 h, 4.50 kWh
- Per month
- $23.36
- 30 days
- Per year
- $284.15
- 365 days at the same use
Your state, your hours
Per hour
$0.16
Per day
$0.78
Per month
$23.36
Per year
$284.15
Electric Fireplace at 1,500 W, 5 h a day, 30 days a month, 60% duty cycle: 135.0 kWh a month. Using the 2025 US average of 17.3 cents/kWh.
Want to change the watts or duty cycle too? Open the full calculator.
What decides the cost of running an electric fireplace
An electric fireplace is two separate loads sharing one plug. The flame effect is a motor, a light source and a reflector, and on most current models that part draws 10 to 30 W. The heater is a standard resistance element, almost always 1,500 W on high and 750 W on low, with a built-in fan. If you run the flame with the heat off, which many people do for most of the evening, the cost is close to nothing. If you run the heat, it costs exactly what a 1,500 W space heater costs, because that is what it is.
The default estimate on this page assumes the heater is on for about 5 hours an evening with a 60 percent duty cycle, since fireplaces usually sit in a living room that the main heating system is also warming. That gives roughly 4.5 kWh a day. Older units and some inserts have no thermostat at all and just run the element continuously while the heat is switched on, which pushes the duty cycle to 100 percent and the cost up by about two thirds.
Manufacturers often say the unit 'heats up to 400 square feet' or 'costs pennies an hour'. The second claim is only true with the heat off. A 1,500 W element at any rate above 7 cents per kWh costs more than ten cents an hour, and in the Northeast or California it is closer to 45 to 50 cents. Infrared quartz fireplaces are marketed as more efficient, but they are resistance heaters too. They warm the people and objects in front of them more than the air, so you feel the heat sooner and may run them for less time.
What works in practice is to enjoy the flame on its own, use the heater to take the chill off for the first half hour, and then let the furnace or heat pump carry the room. On a wall-mount or insert with a remote, use thermostat mode instead of the manual high setting.
How to cut it
- Run the flame effect with the heater off. The LED or halogen flame uses under 30 W.
- Use thermostat mode so the element cycles instead of running continuously.
- Choose low (750 W) for a room that is already heated by the main system.
- Plug it straight into a dedicated wall outlet, never a power strip or extension cord.
Electric Fireplace cost by state
Monthly cost for 1,500 W, 5 h a day, 60% duty cycle, 30 days, sorted cheapest to most expensive. Pick your state above to highlight it.
| Rank | State | Cents/kWh | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 11.81 | $15.94 |
| 2 | Idaho | 11.82 | $15.96 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 12.34 | $16.66 |
| 4 | Louisiana | 12.57 | $16.97 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 12.84 | $17.33 |
| 6 | Montana | 12.98 | $17.52 |
| 7 | Utah | 13.07 | $17.64 |
| 8 | Washington | 13.11 | $17.70 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 13.12 | $17.71 |
| 10 | Nevada | 13.15 | $17.75 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 13.18 | $17.79 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 13.24 | $17.87 |
| 13 | South Dakota | 13.38 | $18.06 |
| 14 | Wyoming | 13.38 | $18.06 |
| 15 | Missouri | 13.49 | $18.21 |
| 16 | Iowa | 13.72 | $18.52 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 14.02 | $18.93 |
| 18 | Mississippi | 14.03 | $18.94 |
| 19 | Kansas | 14.56 | $19.66 |
| 20 | Georgia | 14.73 | $19.89 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 14.96 | $20.20 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 15.08 | $20.36 |
| 23 | Florida | 15.24 | $20.57 |
| 24 | Virginia | 15.28 | $20.63 |
| 25 | Arizona | 15.32 | $20.68 |
| 26 | Oregon | 15.37 | $20.75 |
| 27 | West Virginia | 15.41 | $20.80 |
| 28 | Texas | 15.47 | $20.88 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 15.82 | $21.36 |
| 30 | Colorado | 15.85 | $21.40 |
| 31 | Alabama | 16.10 | $21.74 |
| 32 | Indiana | 16.23 | $21.91 |
| 33 | Ohio | 16.96 | $22.90 |
| 34 | Delaware | 17.13 | $23.13 |
| 35 | Illinois | 17.69 | $23.88 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 18.16 | $24.52 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 19.30 | $26.06 |
| 38 | Maryland | 19.48 | $26.30 |
| 39 | Michigan | 20.01 | $27.01 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | 21.94 | $29.62 |
| 41 | New Jersey | 22.63 | $30.55 |
| 42 | Vermont | 22.92 | $30.94 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 24.56 | $33.16 |
| 44 | Alaska | 26.09 | $35.22 |
| 45 | New York | 26.39 | $35.63 |
| 46 | Maine | 27.78 | $37.50 |
| 47 | Connecticut | 29.38 | $39.66 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 29.46 | $39.77 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 30.48 | $41.15 |
| 50 | California | 32.54 | $43.93 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 40.59 | $54.80 |
Rates: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861, annual average residential price, 2025 (eia.gov). Full list on the electricity rates by state page.
Cheaper to run
The swap that cuts this bill the most, from the products we track. Specs come from the listing or the maker.
MRCOOL DIY Select 12,000 BTU 115V Mini-Split Heat Pump
- inverter
- 12,000 BTU
- SEER2 17.5
- 115V
+1 moreFewer
- heat pump
For heat you use every day, a heat pump moves two to three units of heat per unit of electricity; a fireplace heater makes one. Heats and cools up to 550 sq ft on 115V.
- Pre-charged, no vacuum needed for DIY install
- Cools and heats up to 550 sq ft
- Runs on 115V; 17.5 SEER2, top of our mini-splits
- Mounts through a wall
$1,000 to $2,000, live price on Amazon
Check price on AmazonPaid link. We earn a commission at no cost to you.
Some links pay us a commission; that does not decide what we show. Not lab tested. See our disclosure.
Measure it instead of estimating
P3 Kill A Watt P4400 Electricity Usage Monitor
Plugs in between the wall and any 120 V appliance and shows watts and accumulated kWh. The cheapest way to replace the estimate on this page with your own number.
Under $100, live price on Amazon
Check price on AmazonPaid link. We earn a commission at no cost to you.
Each card says whether its link is paid. We earn a commission if you buy through Amazon.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does an electric fireplace use with just the flame on?+
Between about 10 and 30 W on current LED models, up to around 100 W on older units with halogen bulbs. At 20 W for 5 hours a day, that is 3 kWh a month, well under a dollar at any US rate.
Does an electric fireplace cost the same as a space heater?+
Yes, when the heater is on. Both use a resistance element, usually 1,500 W on high, so per hour of element time the cost is identical. The fireplace just adds a few watts for the flame effect.
Can an electric fireplace heat a whole room cheaply?+
It can heat a small to medium room, but not cheaply compared with a gas furnace or a heat pump. It makes financial sense when it lets you keep the rest of the house cooler, or in a room that your main system does not reach well.
How much does it cost to run an electric fireplace per month?+
About $23 a month with the heater on. The default of 1,500 W for 5 hours a day at a 60 percent duty cycle is 1.5 x 5 x 0.6 = 4.5 kWh a day, or 135 kWh over 30 days, and 135 x $0.173 is about $23. With the heat off and only a 20 W flame running, it is 3 kWh a month, about 52 cents.
How much does an electric fireplace cost per hour?+
About 26 cents an hour on high heat, since 1.5 kWh x $0.173 = $0.26. On the 750 W low setting it is about 13 cents, and with only a 20 W LED flame running it is about a third of a cent per hour.
How many watts does an electric fireplace use on high and low heat?+
Almost all plug-in electric fireplaces use 1,500 W on high and 750 W on low, plus 10 to 30 W for an LED flame effect. The 1,500 W cap comes from the standard 120 V, 15 A outlet they plug into. Some hardwired 240 V inserts are rated higher, so check the label on built-in units.
Does an electric fireplace use a lot of electricity?+
Only when the heater is on. With heat on high it draws 12.5 A at 120 V, the same as a space heater and one of the largest plug-in loads in a home. With the heat off, the 10 to 30 W flame effect uses about as much as one or two LED bulbs.
How much does it cost to run an electric fireplace all night?+
About $1.25 for 8 hours with the heater cycling on its thermostat: 1.5 kW x 8 hours x 0.6 = 7.2 kWh at 17.3 cents. With the flame only at 20 W, 8 hours uses 0.16 kWh, under 3 cents.
Can a generator or power station run an electric fireplace?+
The flame effect alone runs easily on any power station. With the heater on, you need an inverter rated for at least 1,500 W continuous, and a 1 kWh battery lasts only about 40 minutes on high. A 2,000 W or larger generator can carry it on high, since a resistance element has no start-up surge.
How can I lower the cost of running an electric fireplace?+
Run the flame with the heat off whenever the room is already warm, and use thermostat mode or the 750 W low setting when you do want heat. Each hour on low instead of high saves 0.75 kWh, about 13 cents at the national average rate.
Marcus Reed
Founder and Editor, CrunchYourDollars
Marcus Reed builds the sizing tools on CrunchYourDollars. He is a software engineer with a long-running PC hardware and power supply habit, which is where the watts, watt-hours and surge math on this site comes from. Product specs are pulled from manufacturer data sheets, electricity rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and water chemistry rules from the Water Quality Association. He is not a licensed electrician or plumber: the tools show the math and the matching models so you can make the call, and anything involving your electrical panel should be checked by a licensed pro.
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