An electric fireplace costs about 28 cents per hour on high heat at the April 2026 national average rate, 14 cents on low, and under a penny per hour for flames alone. Your state can nearly double that or cut it by a third. Pick your state below, the calculator fills in the current average rate, and you get your cost per hour, day, month, and season.
Running Cost Calculator
State rates are EIA residential averages for April 2026. Your bill’s per-kWh line item is more exact, edit the rate box if you have it. Month is 30 days, season is 180 days (October through March).
The formula, so you can check us
Watts divided by 1,000, times hours used, times your rate per kWh. A 1,500 watt fireplace for 3 hours at 18.83 cents: 1.5 times 3 times 0.1883 is 85 cents for the evening. There is nothing else to it, which is why we show the math instead of hiding it.
Why your state changes the answer so much
Because residential electric rates run from 12.35 cents per kWh in North Dakota to 46.62 cents in Hawaii as of April 2026, per EIA data. The same fireplace on the same schedule costs $22 a month in Fargo and $84 in Honolulu. California (35.25 cents) and New England (Connecticut at 32.24) sit near the top, the Plains and the Northwest near the bottom.
What the calculator assumes
High heat is 1,500 watts and low is 750, which covers nearly every plug-in unit sold. Flame-only is set at 15 watts, the middle of the 10 to 20 watt range LED effects draw. A month is 30 days and a season is 180 days, October through March.
One assumption runs in your favor: the calculator prices the element running the full time you enter. A unit holding a thermostat setting cycles on and off, so real bills often come in under the calculated number.
The honest downside
Electric resistance heat is the most expensive common heat per BTU, roughly triple natural gas at 2026 prices. An electric fireplace only saves money as zone heat: warm the room you are in, drop the thermostat for the rest of the house. Run the comparison yourself in our heating cost calculator, and use the BTU calculator first if you are not sure electric can carry your room at all.
Where the rates come from
Every state rate in the dropdown is the EIA’s average residential price for April 2026, from Table 5.6.A of the Electric Power Monthly. Rates move, so we refresh the table each September before the heating season. Your own bill beats any average: find the per-kWh line item and type it into the rate box.
For what these units can and cannot do, start at the Electric Fireplaces hub. Every price guide on the site lives in the Fireplace Costs hub.
Electric fireplace cost FAQ
Will an electric fireplace raise my electric bill a lot?
Typical use adds $17 to $34 a month: 2 to 4 hours of high heat a day at the April 2026 average rate. Flame-only use barely registers. Running the heater 8 or more hours a day is where bills jump.
What wattage should I enter?
1,500 watts for high heat, 750 for low. Nearly every plug-in electric fireplace shares those two numbers because a standard outlet cannot deliver more. The exact figure is on the label inside the unit or in the manual.
How much does the flame effect cost without the heat?
A penny or two per evening. The LED flame draws about 10 to 20 watts, about what a bright light bulb uses, so running flames all season costs about as much as one cup of coffee.
Is an electric fireplace cheaper to run than central heat?
Per unit of heat, no. Natural gas heat costs about a third as much per BTU at 2026 prices. Electric wins only when it lets you heat one room and turn the furnace down for the whole house.
Where do the state rates come from?
The EIA’s Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, April 2026 residential averages. We refresh them each fall before the heating season.