U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated

Heating · South Dakota

How Much Does It Cost to Run an Electric Baseboard Heater in South Dakota?

The short answer

Running a 1,500W electric baseboard heater in South Dakota costs about $0.23 an hour. At 8 hours a day, that’s roughly $56.11 a month and $673 a year.

The estimate uses South Dakota’s average residential electricity price of 15.4¢/kWh from EIA (July 2026) — 16% below the national average.

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

Electric Baseboard Heater cost by daily use in South Dakota

Cost at 15.4¢/kWh, the South Dakota average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 45.6 $0.23 $7.01 $84.15
2 hours/day 91.3 $0.46 $14.03 $168
4 hours/day 182.5 $0.92 $28.05 $337
8 hours/day 365.0 $1.84 $56.11 $673
12 hours/day 547.6 $2.77 $84.16 $1,010
24 hours/day 1,095.1 $5.53 $168 $2,020

South Dakota vs other states

At typical use, an electric baseboard heater costs $673 a year in South Dakota — $1,429 less than in Hawaii and $116 more than in Louisiana.

South Dakota has the 18th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. South Dakota electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in South Dakota

15.4¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +5.9% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running an electric baseboard heater

Baseboard heaters are wall-mounted resistance heaters wired into a 240V circuit. Like space heaters, they convert electricity to heat at about 100%, and size determines cost: roughly 250 watts per linear foot. A home heated entirely by baseboards may have several units per room, so multiply by the number of units running. Enter the hours per day the heater is actually on — line-voltage thermostats cycle them on and off to hold the set temperature.

  • Install programmable line-voltage thermostats to lower temperatures when rooms are empty.
  • Keep furniture and curtains at least 6 inches away so heat can circulate.
  • Heating a whole home with baseboards? A ductless mini-split heat pump can cut heating costs by half or more.
  • Winters in South Dakota are long, so heating appliances often run more hours here than the national default — adjust the hours above to match your home.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run an electric baseboard heater for 24 hours in South Dakota?

Running a 1,500W electric baseboard heater for 24 hours uses about 36.0 kWh, which costs about $5.53 at South Dakota’s average rate of 15.4¢/kWh.

How many kWh does an electric baseboard heater use per month?

At 8 hours a day, a typical electric baseboard heater uses about 365 kWh a month. In South Dakota that costs $56.11.

Is it expensive to run an electric baseboard heater in South Dakota?

South Dakota has the 18th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 15.4¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running an electric baseboard heater here costs about $673 a year at typical use, compared with $802 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in South Dakota right now?

The average residential electricity rate in South Dakota was 15.4¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 5.9% from a year earlier.

How many watts does a baseboard heater use per foot?

About 250 watts per linear foot, so a 4-foot heater is about 1,000W and an 8-foot heater about 2,000W.

Sources & method