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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Electric Water Heater in the UK? (2026)
A tank water heater is often the single largest electricity user in a home without electric heating. The element only runs a few hours a day, but at 4,000 watts or more those hours add up fast.
A typical electric water heater (4,000 W) costs £1.04 per hour, or about £93.60 per month at 3 hours a day in United Kingdom. Expensive to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (3,000 W) | £0.78 | £2.34 | £70.20 | £854.10 |
| Typical (4,000 W) | £1.04 | £3.12 | £93.60 | £1,139 |
| High (5,500 W) | £1.43 | £4.29 | £128.70 | £1,566 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 3 h/day ≈ 4,380 kWh per year.
In the UK, with electricity at £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), a typical electric water heater costs £1.04 per hour and about £1,139 per year at 3 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 1.0 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a electric water heater
- Set the thermostat to 120 F (49 C). Factory settings are often 140 F.
- Insulate the tank and the first few feet of hot water pipe.
- Fix dripping hot taps. A slow drip can waste hundreds of litres of heated water a month.
- A heat pump water heater uses about a third of the electricity of a resistive tank.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours a day does a water heater run?
Typically 2 to 4 hours of element time, depending on household size and shower habits.
Is a tankless water heater cheaper to run?
It avoids standby losses, saving 10 to 30 percent, but electric tankless units need very high amperage.
Should I turn off my water heater at night?
A timer helps if you have time-of-use rates. Otherwise the savings are small because a well-insulated tank loses little heat overnight.
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