Tool · your rate, your answer

Electric fireplace running cost calculator

Four numbers and you have the real figure. The national average is a starting point; the number on your own bill is the answer.

By Scooter M.Published September 2, 2026Last reviewed September 2, 2026

Work out your own running cost

Four numbers, no email address. The rate defaults to the US residential average; the number that matters is the one on your own bill.

Rated watts

1,500 W is the 120 V ceiling.

Your rate (¢ per kWh)

US average: 18.34¢.

Hours a night

Nights in the season

Per hour: 27.5¢
A month at this usage: $33.01
The whole season: $99.04

At 1,500 W this unit produces about 5,118 BTU/hr and draws 12.5 A on a 120 V circuit. The formula is (watts ÷ 1000) × rate, applied for the hours you entered — the same function that renders every cost figure elsewhere on this site. Default rate from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3 (June 2026).

The formula, so nothing here is a black box

cost per hour = (rated watts ÷ 1,000) × your rate in dollars per kWh. For a 1,500 W unit at 18.34 cents: 1.5 kWh × $0.1834 = $0.2751 an hour. That is the entire calculation, and it is the same function that produces every cost figure elsewhere on this site.

Where to find your rate

Look at your electricity bill. It will show a rate per kWh, usually to four decimal places. That is the number to use.
Include delivery charges if your bill separates them. Supply plus delivery is what you actually pay per kWh; supply alone understates it, sometimes substantially.
If you cannot find it, divide the total bill by the kWh used. That gives your true all-in rate, which is the honest figure.
As a fallback, the US residential average was 18.34 cents per kWh in June 2026 per the EIA. It is a national average and your state may be well above or below it.

Reference figures at the national average

What a 1,500 watt electric fireplace costs to run at 18.34 cents per kilowatt-hour
Usage	Hours	Heat on (1,500 W)	Flame only (~100 W)
One evening	4	$1.10	$0.07
A week of evenings	28	$7.70	$0.51
A month, 4 hrs a night	120	$33.01	$2.20
A 90-day winter, 4 hrs a night	360	$99.04	$6.60
Per hour	1	27.5¢	1.8¢

Full heat. Computed as (watts ÷ 1000) × rate, at 18.34¢/kWh — the US residential average from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3 (June 2026), released 2026-08-26. Your rate is on your own bill — put it into the calculator. The flame-only column assumes a conservative 100 W for the LED assembly with the heater switched off.

What a 750 watt electric fireplace costs to run at 18.34 cents per kilowatt-hour
Usage	Hours	Heat on (750 W)	Flame only (~100 W)
One evening	4	$0.55	$0.07
A week of evenings	28	$3.85	$0.51
A month, 4 hrs a night	120	$16.51	$2.20
A 90-day winter, 4 hrs a night	360	$49.52	$6.60
Per hour	1	13.8¢	1.8¢

Low heat — half the cost, and frequently enough. Computed as (watts ÷ 1000) × rate, at 18.34¢/kWh — the US residential average from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3 (June 2026), released 2026-08-26. Your rate is on your own bill — put it into the calculator. The flame-only column assumes a conservative 100 W for the LED assembly with the heater switched off.

The number that surprises people

The flame-only column. Running the flame effect with the heater switched off draws a small fraction of the heater's load — we use a deliberately conservative 100 W across this site, and many units draw less. At the national average that is under two cents an hour, or about seven cents for a whole evening.

For anyone whose actual reason for buying an electric fireplace is the look of a fire on a winter night, that figure reframes the entire purchase. The expensive part of owning one of these is the heating, and the heating is a switch.

Questions people actually ask

How do I calculate my electric fireplace running cost?

Divide the rated watts by 1,000 to get kWh per hour, then multiply by your electricity rate in dollars per kWh. A 1,500 W unit at 18.34 cents per kWh costs about 27.5 cents an hour.

What electricity rate should I use?

The all-in rate from your own bill, including delivery charges if they are listed separately. If you cannot find it, divide your total bill by the kWh used. The US residential average was 18.34 cents per kWh in June 2026.

Does the flame effect use much electricity?

Very little. We use a conservative 100 W estimate for LED flame assemblies across this site, which works out to under two cents an hour at the national average. Many units draw considerably less than that.

Is this calculator accurate?

The arithmetic is exact — resistive heating converts essentially all electrical input to heat, so there is no efficiency factor to estimate. What varies is your rated wattage and your rate. Get both right and the answer is right.

Sources

Every figure on this page is either taken from one of these documents or computed from a formula shown on the page. Nothing here is recalled from memory.