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

Space Heater vs Oil-Filled Radiator: Which Costs Less to Run?

The short answer

Per hour of use, an oil-filled radiator ($0.19/hr) costs about 30% less to run than a space heater ($0.27/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 $46.79 a month.

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

Space Heater

Typical power
1,500W
Per hour
$0.27
Per month
$66.84
Per year
$802
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full space heater breakdown
Cheaper to run

Oil-Filled Radiator

Typical power
1,500W
Per hour
$0.19
Per month
$46.79
Per year
$561
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full oil-filled radiator breakdown

Space Heater vs Oil-Filled Radiator in the 10 largest states

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

StateSpace HeaterOil-Filled RadiatorDifference
California $123 $85.88 $36.81
Texas $57.97 $40.58 $17.39
Florida $54.87 $38.41 $16.46
New York $109 $76.40 $32.74
Pennsylvania $79.29 $55.50 $23.79
Illinois $70.16 $49.11 $21.05
Ohio $71.00 $49.70 $21.30
Georgia $59.39 $41.57 $17.82
North Carolina $55.34 $38.74 $16.60
Michigan $84.14 $58.90 $25.24

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is a space heater cheaper to run than an oil-filled radiator?

Per hour of use, an oil-filled radiator ($0.19/hr) costs about 30% less to run than a space heater ($0.27/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 $46.79 a month.

How much power does a space heater use compared with an oil-filled radiator?

A space heater typically draws 1,500W, while an oil-filled radiator draws about 1,500W.

More comparisons

Sources & method