How Much Does It Cost to Run a Well Pump (1/2 HP)?
Short answer: about $0.17 a day and $5.19 a month, or $0.17 for each hour it runs at full power, at the 2025 US average electricity rate. That is for a 1,000 W well pump (1/2 hp) running 1 hours a day with a 100% duty cycle. Change the state and hours below for your own number.
Updated Nov 8, 2026
Quick answer
Quick answer, US average (17.3 c/kWh)
About $5.19 a month
The same use costs $3.54 a month in North Dakota and $12.18 in Hawaii. This appliance runs on a 240 V circuit, so plug-in meters will not fit it; use a panel monitor or the utility's hourly data instead.
- Per hour
- $0.17
- at 1,000 W
- Per day
- $0.17
- 1 h, 1.00 kWh
- Per month
- $5.19
- 30 days
- Per year
- $63.15
- 365 days at the same use
Your state, your hours
Per hour
$0.17
Per day
$0.17
Per month
$5.19
Per year
$63.15
Well Pump (1/2 HP) at 1,000 W, 1 h a day, 30 days a month, 100% duty cycle: 30.0 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 well pump (1/2 hp)
A half horsepower well pump draws about 800 to 1,100 W while running, and the default here uses 1,000 W. It has no thermostat and no duty cycle. It runs when the pressure tank drops to its cut-in pressure, usually 30 or 40 psi, and stops when the tank refills to 50 or 60 psi. So the cost is set by how much water the house uses, not by the clock. Most half horsepower pumps are 240 V and wired to their own breaker, so a plug-in meter cannot measure one. Some shallow-well jet pumps run on 120 V.
The one hour a day default is generous for an ordinary household. A pump delivering 10 gallons a minute moves 600 gallons in an hour, while a family of four typically uses 300 to 400 gallons a day indoors. Without irrigation, 30 to 40 minutes of pump time a day is more typical, about 0.5 to 0.7 kWh. Watering a lawn or garden is what pushes it to an hour or more in summer. A useful rule: at 10 gallons a minute, every 1,000 gallons costs about 1.7 kWh, roughly 29 cents. A deeper well with a lower flow rate costs proportionally more per gallon.
Leaks show up as pump run time. A running toilet can waste 200 gallons a day, which keeps the pump cycling 20 extra minutes. If you hear the pump kick on with every tap closed, check toilets and outdoor spigots before suspecting the pump. A waterlogged pressure tank causes short cycling, where the pump starts and stops every few seconds. That barely changes the bill, but repeated starts wear out the motor and pressure switch.
The bigger practical question is outages, since no power means no water. The pump's start surge of about 3,000 W, on 240 V, decides what generator or battery can run it.
How to cut it
- Fix running toilets and dripping outdoor taps. Every wasted gallon is pump time.
- Check the pressure tank's air charge yearly so the pump does not short cycle.
- Water the lawn early in the morning so less of the water you pump evaporates.
- Size backup power for the 3,000 W start surge, not the 1,000 W running draw.
Well Pump (1/2 HP) cost by state
Monthly cost for 1,000 W, 1 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 | $3.54 |
| 2 | Idaho | 11.82 | $3.55 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 12.34 | $3.70 |
| 4 | Louisiana | 12.57 | $3.77 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 12.84 | $3.85 |
| 6 | Montana | 12.98 | $3.89 |
| 7 | Utah | 13.07 | $3.92 |
| 8 | Washington | 13.11 | $3.93 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 13.12 | $3.94 |
| 10 | Nevada | 13.15 | $3.95 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 13.18 | $3.95 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 13.24 | $3.97 |
| 13 | South Dakota | 13.38 | $4.01 |
| 14 | Wyoming | 13.38 | $4.01 |
| 15 | Missouri | 13.49 | $4.05 |
| 16 | Iowa | 13.72 | $4.12 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 14.02 | $4.21 |
| 18 | Mississippi | 14.03 | $4.21 |
| 19 | Kansas | 14.56 | $4.37 |
| 20 | Georgia | 14.73 | $4.42 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 14.96 | $4.49 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 15.08 | $4.52 |
| 23 | Florida | 15.24 | $4.57 |
| 24 | Virginia | 15.28 | $4.58 |
| 25 | Arizona | 15.32 | $4.60 |
| 26 | Oregon | 15.37 | $4.61 |
| 27 | West Virginia | 15.41 | $4.62 |
| 28 | Texas | 15.47 | $4.64 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 15.82 | $4.75 |
| 30 | Colorado | 15.85 | $4.76 |
| 31 | Alabama | 16.10 | $4.83 |
| 32 | Indiana | 16.23 | $4.87 |
| 33 | Ohio | 16.96 | $5.09 |
| 34 | Delaware | 17.13 | $5.14 |
| 35 | Illinois | 17.69 | $5.31 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 18.16 | $5.45 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 19.30 | $5.79 |
| 38 | Maryland | 19.48 | $5.84 |
| 39 | Michigan | 20.01 | $6.00 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | 21.94 | $6.58 |
| 41 | New Jersey | 22.63 | $6.79 |
| 42 | Vermont | 22.92 | $6.88 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | 24.56 | $7.37 |
| 44 | Alaska | 26.09 | $7.83 |
| 45 | New York | 26.39 | $7.92 |
| 46 | Maine | 27.78 | $8.33 |
| 47 | Connecticut | 29.38 | $8.81 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 29.46 | $8.84 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 30.48 | $9.14 |
| 50 | California | 32.54 | $9.76 |
| 51 | Hawaii | 40.59 | $12.18 |
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 it cost to run a well pump per month?+
About $5.19 a month at one hour of pumping a day. A 1,000 W pump running 1 hour uses 1 kWh a day, 30 kWh a month, and 30 x $0.173 is about $5.19. A household without irrigation often runs it 30 to 40 minutes a day, about $2.60 to $3.50.
How much does it cost to run a well pump per year?+
About $63 a year at one hour a day. 365 kWh a year at 17.3 cents per kWh is about $63.15. Summer irrigation can add considerably to that.
How much does a well pump cost per hour?+
About 17 cents for each hour it runs. A 1/2 HP pump at 1,000 W uses 1 kWh an hour, and 1 x $0.173 is $0.17. At 10 gallons a minute, that hour moves about 600 gallons.
How many watts does a 1/2 HP well pump use?+
About 800 to 1,100 W while running and around 3,000 W for a moment at start. A 1 HP pump draws about 2,000 W running and 6,000 W at start. Most are 240 V, though some shallow-well jet pumps are 120 V.
How much electricity does a well pump use per 1,000 gallons?+
About 1.7 kWh, roughly 29 cents, for a 1/2 HP pump delivering 10 gallons a minute. It takes 100 minutes to move 1,000 gallons at that rate. A deeper well delivering 5 gallons a minute takes twice as long and costs about twice as much.
Does a well pump use a lot of electricity?+
No. At about 1 kWh a day it uses less than a refrigerator (1.26 kWh a day on this site's defaults). Its cost to run is small. What makes it a challenge is the 3,000 W start surge for backup power.
How much does it cost if a well pump runs constantly?+
About $4.15 a day. 1,000 W for 24 hours is 24 kWh, and 24 x $0.173 is $4.15. A pump that never shuts off usually means a leak, a failed pressure switch, or a well that cannot keep up, and it can burn out the motor.
Does a well pump use electricity when no water is running?+
It should not. The pump only runs when the pressure tank drops to its cut-in pressure. If it cycles on with every tap closed, look for a leak, a running toilet, or a check valve letting water drain back into the well.
What size generator do I need to run a 1/2 HP well pump?+
One with at least about 3,000 starting watts and 240 V output, connected through a transfer switch or interlock, with more headroom if the fridge and other loads share it. Most portable power stations cannot start a 240 V well pump unless they offer split-phase output.
How can I lower the cost of running a well pump?+
Use less water, mainly by fixing leaks and cutting lawn irrigation. The pump costs about 29 cents per 1,000 gallons at 10 gallons a minute, so a toilet leaking 200 gallons a day wastes about $1.73 a month in pumping alone.
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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