Home › Appliances › Personal Care › CPAP Machine › California
How Much Does It Cost to Run a CPAP Machine in California? (2026)
A CPAP without a humidifier draws 10 to 30 watts. With a heated humidifier and heated hose it can reach 60 to 90 watts. Either way, a full night costs a few cents.
A typical cpap machine (30 W) costs $0.010 per hour, or about $2.52 per month at 8 hours a day in California. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (10 W) | $0.003 | $0.028 | $0.84 | $10.22 |
| Typical (30 W) | $0.010 | $0.084 | $2.52 | $30.66 |
| High (90 W) | $0.032 | $0.25 | $7.56 | $91.98 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 8 h/day ≈ 88 kWh per year.
In California, with electricity at $0.35 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical cpap machine costs $0.010 per hour and about $30.66 per year at 8 hours a day. That is about 94% more than the US national average of $1.30 per month, because electricity in California costs $0.35 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 95.2 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a cpap machine
- Lower the humidifier temperature if you do not need it high. The heater is most of the draw.
- Turn off the heated tube in summer.
- Use a smart plug to cut standby draw during the day.
In standby it draws about 2 W, which adds roughly 18 kWh ($6.13) per year if it is never unplugged.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a CPAP every night?
About 0.25 kWh a night at 30 watts, 7 to 8 kWh a month.
Does a CPAP use a lot of electricity?
No. Even with heated humidification it is under 25 kWh a month.
How long will a CPAP run on a battery?
A 100 Wh battery runs a basic CPAP without humidifier for one to two nights.
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India