U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Side-by-side running cost

Electric Baseboard Heater vs Heat Pump: Which Costs Less to Run?

The short answer

Per hour of use, an electric baseboard heater ($0.27/hr) costs about 50% less to run than a heat pump ($0.55/hr) at the US average rate of 18.3¢/kWh. At typical use (8 hours a day vs 8 hours a day), that’s $66.84 vs $134 a month.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Cheaper to run

Electric Baseboard Heater

Typical power
1,500W
Per hour
$0.27
Per month
$66.84
Per year
$802
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full electric baseboard heater breakdown

Heat Pump

Typical power
3,000W
Per hour
$0.55
Per month
$134
Per year
$1,604
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full heat pump breakdown

Electric Baseboard Heater vs Heat Pump in the 10 largest states

Monthly cost at typical use and each state’s average residential rate.

StateElectric Baseboard HeaterHeat PumpDifference
California $123 $245 $123
Texas $57.97 $116 $57.97
Florida $54.87 $110 $54.87
New York $109 $218 $109
Pennsylvania $79.29 $159 $79.29
Illinois $70.16 $140 $70.16
Ohio $71.00 $142 $71.00
Georgia $59.39 $119 $59.39
North Carolina $55.34 $111 $55.34
Michigan $84.14 $168 $84.14

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is an electric baseboard heater cheaper to run than a heat pump?

Per hour of use, an electric baseboard heater ($0.27/hr) costs about 50% less to run than a heat pump ($0.55/hr) at the US average rate of 18.3¢/kWh. At typical use (8 hours a day vs 8 hours a day), that’s $66.84 vs $134 a month.

How much power does an electric baseboard heater use compared with a heat pump?

An electric baseboard heater typically draws 1,500W, while a heat pump draws about 3,000W.

More comparisons

Sources & method