How many watts does a space heater use?
A space heater uses 750–1,500 W (about 1,500 W on average). Running 4 hours/day, that is about 6.00 kWh a day and 180.0 kWh a month — roughly $32.96 a month at the U.S. average rate of 18.31 ¢/kWh.
This is the space heater electricity usage reference: watts, amps on a 120 V circuit, the kWh math, and links to what that usage costs in each state.
Watts, amps, and kWh for a space heater
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated wattage range | 750–1,500 W |
| Average draw used in our math | 1,500 W |
| Amps at 120 V | 6.3–13 A (13 A at the average draw) |
| kWh per hour | 1.50 kWh |
| kWh per day at 4 hours/day | 6.00 kWh |
| kWh per month | 180.0 kWh |
| Cost per month at the U.S. average (18.31 ¢/kWh) | $32.96 |
The math is kWh = watts × hours ÷ 1000 and amps = watts ÷ volts. A standard 120 V household circuit on a 15 A breaker carries about 1,800 W. For the dollars in your state, open cost to run a space heater in Texas and switch states from there.
Space Heater electricity usage profile
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| kWh per hour | 1.50 kWh |
| kWh per day (typical) | 6.00 kWh |
| kWh per month (typical) | 180.0 kWh |
| kWh per year (typical) | 2190.0 kWh |
| Low runtime scenario | 2 hours/day |
| High runtime scenario | 6 hours/day |
Connect usage to cost tools
Related appliance usage pages
Source & Method
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Retail Sales of Electricity. Last dataset period: July 2026. Usage calculations use fixed appliance wattage and runtime assumptions so results stay comparable across pages.
Frequently asked questions
How many watts does a space heater use?
A space heater uses 750–1,500 W (about 1,500 W on average). Our usage and cost math uses 1,500 watts running 4 hours/day.
How many amps does a space heater draw?
On a 120 V circuit, 750–1,500 W works out to about 6.3–13 A; at the 1,500 W we use in the math that is 13 A.
How much electricity does a space heater use per month?
About 180.0 kWh a month at 4 hours/day. Lighter use (2 hours/day) comes to roughly 90.0 kWh and heavier use (6 hours/day) roughly 270.0 kWh.
How much does it cost to run a space heater?
About $32.96 a month at the U.S. average rate of 18.31 ¢/kWh — from roughly $22.90 in Louisiana to $86.40 in Hawaii at the same usage. The state cost-to-run pages price it at every state's rate.