Running an electric fireplace costs about $17 to $34 a month if you run the heater 2 to 4 hours a day, at the April 2026 national average electric rate of 18.83 cents per kWh. The flame effect alone costs under a dollar a month. Heavy use changes the picture fast: 8 hours of heat a day is closer to $68 a month, and your local rate can double or halve all of these numbers.
- Full heat (1,500 watts): about 28 cents per hour
- Low heat (750 watts): about 14 cents per hour
- Flame effect only: a penny or two per evening
- Typical winter month, 2 to 4 hours a day: $17 to $34
How much electricity does an electric fireplace use?
1,500 watts on high heat, and that number is close to universal. Plug-in electric fireplaces max out at 1,500 watts because that is what a standard 120-volt household outlet can safely deliver. On low, most units draw around 750 watts. The LED flame effect by itself draws roughly 10 to 20 watts, about what a bright light bulb uses.
That 1,500 watt ceiling is also why no plug-in electric fireplace heats better than any other plug-in electric fireplace. They all put out the same maximum heat, about 5,000 BTU. The differences you pay for are looks, controls, and how the heat is delivered.
Cost to run an electric fireplace per hour
About 28 cents per hour on full heat at the 2026 national average rate. The math is simple enough to do for your own bill: watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your rate per kWh.
| Setting | Power draw | Cost per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Flame only | 10 to 20 watts | Under half a cent |
| Low heat | 750 watts | $0.14 |
| High heat | 1,500 watts | $0.28 |
Cost to run an electric fireplace per month
$17 a month at 2 hours of high heat a day, $34 at 4 hours, $68 at 8 hours. We built this table at the 2026 average rate so you can find your own usage in it:
| Heater use per day (1,500W) | kWh per month | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 45 | $8.47 |
| 2 hours | 90 | $16.95 |
| 4 hours | 180 | $33.89 |
| 8 hours | 360 | $67.79 |
| 24 hours (do not do this) | 1,080 | $203.36 |
The 24-hour row is there because people ask, not because you should. A thermostat-equipped unit cycling on and off will land well under the always-on number, but an electric fireplace running around the clock is the wrong tool. That workload belongs to your furnace or a heat pump.
What it costs in your state
Anywhere from about $22 to $84 for the same 4-hours-a-day month, because state electric rates spread that far. Per EIA data from April 2026, North Dakota pays the least at 12.35 cents per kWh and Hawaii the most at 46.62 cents.
| Rate example (April 2026) | Cents per kWh | 4 hrs/day monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota (cheapest state) | 12.35 | $22.23 |
| US average | 18.83 | $33.89 |
| Hawaii (most expensive state) | 46.62 | $83.92 |
Find your rate on your electric bill, usually as a per-kWh line item, and run the formula. Or skip the arithmetic: our running cost calculator does this math with your state’s rate pre-filled.
How do you make an electric fireplace cheaper to run?
Three habits do almost all of the work:
- Use the thermostat, not the always-on switch. A unit that cycles to hold 68 degrees runs the element a fraction of the time you think it does.
- Heat the room you are in and drop the whole-house thermostat. This is the only way an electric fireplace saves money overall. It loses to your furnace on cost per unit of heat, but it wins when it lets you stop heating four empty rooms.
- Run flame-only when you want the look. The ambiance is nearly free. It is the heating element that costs money.
And the honest downside: if your hope is heating a large open-plan space with a 1,500 watt plug-in, the math never works. You get about 5,000 BTU, enough for roughly 400 square feet of normal room. Past that, you are buying ambiance with a warm breeze attached.
Is an electric fireplace cheaper to run than a space heater?
No, and it is not more expensive either. A 1,500 watt electric fireplace and a 1,500 watt space heater consume identical electricity and put out identical heat. You are paying the fireplace premium for the flame, the mantel, and the furniture it doubles as. Our full cost comparison of the two publishes in August.
How we checked these numbers
The cost tables on this page are our own arithmetic, not copied ranges. We took the standard 1,500 watt draw that plug-in fireplaces share, multiplied it against the EIA’s published April 2026 residential electric rates, and showed the work so you can swap in your own rate. Rates move, so we recheck these figures in September before the heating season, and the calculator version will always use current state rates.
Electricity is only one line in the ownership math. The Electric Fireplaces hub covers what these units can and cannot do, the Fireplace Costs hub collects every price guide on the site, and if you are weighing electric against gas, start with what a gas fireplace install costs before comparing the monthly bills.
Electric fireplace running cost FAQ
How much does it cost to run an electric fireplace for 1 hour?
About 28 cents on full heat at the April 2026 national average rate of 18.83 cents per kWh. On low heat it is about 14 cents, and flame-only is under half a cent.
Do electric fireplaces use a lot of electricity?
Only while the heater runs. At 1,500 watts on high, one hour uses the same electricity as a hair dryer running for an hour. The flame effect uses about as much as a light bulb, so display-only use barely shows on a bill.
Is it cheaper to run an electric fireplace or the furnace?
Per unit of heat, the furnace usually wins, especially on natural gas. The fireplace wins when it lets you heat one room and turn the rest of the house down. Zone heating is the whole cost case for electric fireplaces.
Does the flame effect cost money without the heat on?
Almost none. The LED flame draws roughly 10 to 20 watts, which works out to a penny or two for a full evening at 2026 rates. Run the flames all season for about the cost of one coffee.
Does an electric fireplace need its own circuit?
It needs most of one. A 1,500 watt unit pulls 12.5 amps on a standard 15-amp circuit, so sharing that circuit with another big appliance trips breakers. Manufacturers recommend a dedicated outlet, and for hardwired built-ins an electrician will run one.