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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Electric Water Heater in Delaware? (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 $0.76 per hour, or about $68.40 per month at 3 hours a day in Delaware. Expensive to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (3,000 W) | $0.57 | $1.71 | $51.30 | $624.15 |
| Typical (4,000 W) | $0.76 | $2.28 | $68.40 | $832.20 |
| High (5,500 W) | $1.04 | $3.14 | $94.05 | $1,144 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 3 h/day ≈ 4,380 kWh per year.
One hour of an electric water heater (4.0 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 22km in an electric car
- 40hours of TV
- 89hours of a laptop
- 444hours of an LED bulb
In Delaware, with electricity at $0.19 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical electric water heater costs $0.76 per hour and about $832.20 per year at 3 hours a day. That is about 6% more than the national average for the US ($64.80 per month), because electricity in Delaware costs $0.19 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 1.3 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.
Would switching to a heat pump water heater pay for itself?
At your hours and region above, this electric water heater uses about 4,380 kWh a year and a heat pump water heater about 1,533 kWh.
Saves – per year. Pays for itself in –, and over 10 years you come out –.
Heat pump water heaters typically use a third of the electricity of a resistance tank. Prices are typical and editable; the saving updates with the region and hours you set in the table above.
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.
Compare with
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canadian provinces
Related appliances
- Electric Blanket100 W typical
- Heat Pump (Ducted or Mini-Split)2,000 W typical
- Baseboard Heater1,500 W typical
- Portable Fan (Box or Pedestal)50 W typical
Use the generic electricity cost calculator → · Which uses more? Take the quiz →