How Much Does It Cost to Run a Pool Pump?
Based on a 1,500 W pool pump running 8 hours a day with a 100% 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 $62.28 a month
The same use costs $42.52 a month in North Dakota and $146.12 in Hawaii.
- Per hour
- $0.26
- at 1,500 W
- Per day
- $2.08
- 8 h, 12.00 kWh
- Per month
- $62.28
- 30 days
- Per year
- $757.74
- 365 days at the same use
Your state, your hours
Per hour
$0.26
Per day
$2.08
Per month
$62.28
Per year
$757.74
Pool Pump at 1,500 W, 8 h a day, 30 days a month, 100% duty cycle: 360.0 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 a pool pump
A single-speed 1 HP pool pump is one of the largest electrical loads in a house that has one, and the easiest to cut. The motor draws around 1,500 W whenever it runs, at a 100 percent duty cycle, because a single-speed motor has only one speed. Run 8 hours a day, the default on this page, that is 12 kWh a day, 360 kWh a month, more than most central air conditioners. Pumps labeled 1.5 or 2 HP draw proportionally more, and the 'total horsepower' marketing figure on some pumps overstates the true motor size, so go by the amp draw on the motor plate.
The run time is the first thing to question. A pool only needs its water turned over about once a day, and with a properly sized pump that takes 4 to 6 hours, not 8 or 12. Many timers were set for the maximum years ago and never revisited. Cutting from 8 hours to 5 cuts the bill by more than a third with no change to water quality in most pools. Run it during off-peak hours if you are on a time-of-use rate.
The larger fix is a variable-speed pump. Pump power rises with the cube of flow, so running a variable-speed pump at half speed for twice as long moves the same water for about a quarter of the energy. A typical variable-speed pump at its low speed draws 300 to 500 W, and the variable-speed entry in our appliance table uses 400 W at 12 hours. On a 360 kWh a month single-speed load the saving is often 200 to 250 kWh a month, enough that a $1,000 to $1,500 pump pays for itself in one to two seasons in a high-rate state. Federal rules since 2021 effectively require new pumps over about 1 HP to be variable speed, so a new single-speed replacement is often not even available.
Filter condition affects the draw. A dirty cartridge or sand filter raises the head pressure, which on a single-speed pump lowers flow and makes you run it longer to get the same turnover. Backwash or clean the filter when the pressure gauge rises 8 to 10 psi above its clean reading.
How to cut it
- Cut the timer to one turnover a day, usually 4 to 6 hours.
- Replace a single-speed pump with a variable-speed model and run it slow and long.
- Clean the filter when the gauge rises 8 to 10 psi. A clogged filter wastes pump energy.
- Run during off-peak hours on a time-of-use rate.
Pool Pump cost by state
Monthly cost for 1,500 W, 8 h a day, 100% 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 | $42.52 |
| 2 | Idaho | 11.82 | $42.55 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 12.34 | $44.42 |
| 4 | Louisiana | 12.57 | $45.25 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 12.84 | $46.22 |
| 6 | Montana | 12.98 | $46.73 |
| 7 | Utah | 13.07 | $47.05 |
| 8 | Washington | 13.11 | $47.20 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 13.12 | $47.23 |
| 10 | Nevada | 13.15 | $47.34 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 13.18 | $47.45 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 13.24 | $47.66 |
| 13 | South Dakota | 13.38 | $48.17 |
| 14 | Wyoming | 13.38 | $48.17 |
| 15 | Missouri | 13.49 | $48.56 |
| 16 | Iowa | 13.72 | $49.39 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 14.02 | $50.47 |
| 18 | Mississippi | 14.03 | $50.51 |
| 19 | Kansas | 14.56 | $52.42 |
| 20 | Georgia | 14.73 | $53.03 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 14.96 | $53.86 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 15.08 | $54.29 |
| 23 | Florida | 15.24 | $54.86 |
| 24 | Virginia | 15.28 | $55.01 |
| 25 | Arizona | 15.32 | $55.15 |
| 26 | Oregon | 15.37 | $55.33 |
| 27 | West Virginia | 15.41 | $55.48 |
| 28 | Texas | 15.47 | $55.69 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 15.82 | $56.95 |
| 30 | Colorado | 15.85 | $57.06 |
| 31 | Alabama | 16.10 | $57.96 |
| 32 | Indiana | 16.23 | $58.43 |
| 33 | Ohio | 16.96 | $61.06 |
| 34 | Delaware | 17.13 | $61.67 |
| 35 | Illinois | 17.69 | $63.68 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 18.16 | $65.38 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 19.30 | $69.48 |
| 38 | Maryland | 19.48 | $70.13 |
| 39 | Michigan | 20.01 | $72.04 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | 21.94 | $78.98 |
| 41 | New Jersey | 22.63 | $81.47 |
| 42 | Vermont | 22.92 | $82.51 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 24.56 | $88.42 |
| 44 | Alaska | 26.09 | $93.92 |
| 45 | New York | 26.39 | $95.00 |
| 46 | Maine | 27.78 | $100.01 |
| 47 | Connecticut | 29.38 | $105.77 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 29.46 | $106.06 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 30.48 | $109.73 |
| 50 | California | 32.54 | $117.14 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 40.59 | $146.12 |
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.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a pool pump cost to run per month?+
A 1 HP single-speed pump at 8 hours a day uses about 360 kWh a month, around $62 at the national average rate and over $110 in California. A variable-speed pump doing the same job typically uses 100 to 150 kWh.
How many hours a day should a pool pump run?+
Long enough to turn the water over once, which for most residential pools is 4 to 6 hours with a single-speed pump, or 8 to 12 hours at low speed on a variable-speed pump. Longer than that adds cost without improving water quality.
Is a variable-speed pool pump worth it?+
Almost always. It cuts pump electricity by 60 to 80 percent, is much quieter, and in most states the payback is one to three seasons. Many utilities offer rebates, and new pumps over roughly 1 HP are required to be variable speed under federal efficiency rules.
How many watts does a pool pump use?+
A 1 HP single-speed pool pump draws about 1,500 W while running and up to about 4,000 W at start-up. Pumps labeled 1.5 or 2 HP draw proportionally more, so check the amp rating on the motor plate for the real figure.
How much does it cost to run a pool pump per year?+
At 8 hours a day, a 1 HP pump uses 12 kWh a day (1,500 W x 8 hours), about $2.08 a day at 17.3 cents per kWh. A 180 day swimming season is about 2,160 kWh or $374, and running year-round is about 4,380 kWh or $758.
Does a pool pump use a lot of electricity?+
Yes. At about 360 kWh a month on an 8 hour schedule, a single-speed pump uses more than most central air conditioners and is one of the largest loads in a house that has one.
How much can I save by running my pool pump fewer hours?+
Cutting from 8 to 5 hours a day saves 4.5 kWh a day (1,500 W x 3 hours), about 78 cents a day or $23 a month at the national average rate. For most pools, one turnover a day in 4 to 6 hours keeps the water clean.
How much does a variable-speed pool pump cost to run?+
About $25 a month at its low speed: 400 W x 12 hours = 4.8 kWh a day, 144 kWh a month, times $0.173. That compares with about $62 a month for a 1 HP single-speed pump on 8 hours.
Can a generator or power station run a pool pump?+
A generator can if it handles the start-up surge of up to about 4,000 W. A power station is a poor fit: at 1,500 W, a 1,000 Wh unit would last only about 35 minutes after inverter losses (1,000 x 0.85 / 1,500 = 0.57 hours).
Is it cheaper to run a pool pump at night?+
Only if you are on a time-of-use rate plan. On a flat rate, 12 kWh costs the same at any hour. On time-of-use, moving the run to off-peak hours can cut the cost with no effect on water quality.
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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