Electric water heater vs Heat pump: which costs more to run? (2026)
Baseline uses U.S. average $0.180/kWh, typical wattage, and typical hours/day from our catalog. At that rate: Electric water heater ~$72.81/mo (405.0 kWh/mo) · Heat pump ~$107.87/mo (600.0 kWh/mo).
Use the country selector in the tool below for your tariff and currency (defaults follow your locale, same as our appliance calculators). See methodology for sources.
Estimates below use the rate you pick (defaults match your locale when possible). The summary paragraph above stays at U.S. average for SEO; see methodology for sources.
$0.180/kWh
Higher cost: Heat pump · +48% ($35.06/mo vs Electric water heater)
Electric water heater
Lower cost- Typical watts
- 4500 W
- Hours/day
- 3
- Monthly est.
- $72.81
- kWh/mo
- 405.0
Heat pump
Higher cost- Typical watts
- 2500 W
- Hours/day
- 8
- Monthly est.
- $107.87
- kWh/mo
- 600.0
Heat pump is estimated to cost more per month at typical use.
Compare by U.S. state
State pages use local utility averages (TYPE7). Open a state for either appliance to fine-tune hours and watts.