U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Outdoor & Garage · Illinois

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Pool Pump in Illinois?

The short answer

Running a 1,500W pool pump in Illinois costs about $0.29 an hour. At 8 hours a day, that’s roughly $70.16 a month and $842 a year.

That’s based on Illinois’s average residential rate of 19.2¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 5% above the US average.

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

Pool Pump cost by daily use in Illinois

Cost at 19.2¢/kWh, the Illinois average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 45.6 $0.29 $8.77 $105
2 hours/day 91.3 $0.58 $17.54 $210
4 hours/day 182.5 $1.15 $35.08 $421
8 hours/day 365.0 $2.31 $70.16 $842
12 hours/day 547.6 $3.46 $105 $1,263
24 hours/day 1,095.1 $6.92 $210 $2,526

Illinois vs other states

At typical use, a pool pump costs $842 a year in Illinois — $1,261 less than in Hawaii and $285 more than in Louisiana.

Illinois has the 17th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Illinois price per kWh · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Illinois

19.2¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +11.6% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a pool pump

Pool pumps can be one of the biggest electricity users in a home with a pool because they run for many hours every day of the season. A single-speed 1–2 HP pump typically draws 1,000–2,500W. Variable-speed pumps are dramatically more efficient: running at low speed for longer moves the same water with a fraction of the energy, which is why many states now require them for new installs.

  • Switch to a variable-speed pump — savings of 50–80% are common.
  • Run the pump only as long as needed to turn over the water once a day.
  • Keep skimmer baskets and filters clean so the pump doesn't strain.
  • Summers in Illinois are relatively mild, so cooling costs are concentrated in a few hot weeks each year.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a pool pump for 24 hours in Illinois?

Running a 1,500W pool pump for 24 hours uses about 36.0 kWh, which costs about $6.92 at Illinois’s average rate of 19.2¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a pool pump use per month?

At 8 hours a day, a typical pool pump uses about 365 kWh a month. In Illinois that costs $70.16.

Is it expensive to run a pool pump in Illinois?

Illinois has the 17th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 19.2¢/kWh — pricier than most. Running a pool pump here costs about $842 a year at typical use, compared with $802 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Illinois right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Illinois was 19.2¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 11.6% from a year earlier.

Pool Pump costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Sources & method