How Much Does It Cost to Run an Electric Pressure Washer in British Columbia? (2026)
Electric pressure washers draw 1,300 to 2,500 watts but only while the trigger is pressed. An hour of washing typically uses about 1 kWh, and the water cost is often larger than the electricity.
A typical electric pressure washer (1,800 W) costs C$0.23 per hour, or about C$0.20 per month at 0.03 hours a day in British Columbia. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 1,300 W | C$0.16 | C$0.005 | C$0.15 | C$1.79 |
| Typical 1,800 W | C$0.23 | C$0.007 | C$0.20 | C$2.48 |
| High 2,500 W | C$0.32 | C$0.009 | C$0.28 | C$3.45 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.03 h/day ≈ 20 kWh per year.
One hour of an electric pressure washer (1.8 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 10km in an electric car
- 18hours of TV
- 40hours of a laptop
- 200hours of an LED bulb
In British Columbia, with electricity at 12.6¢ per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), a typical electric pressure washer costs C$0.23 per hour and about C$2.48 per year at 0.03 hours a day. That is about 10% less than the national average for Canada (C$0.23 per month), because electricity in British Columbia costs 12.6¢ per kWh against 14.0¢ nationally. Each C$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 4.4 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running an electric pressure washer
- Use the widest nozzle that does the job. Narrow nozzles do not use more electricity but take longer.
- Pretreat with detergent so you rinse rather than blast.
- Store it drained and indoors so the pump lasts.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a pressure washer for an hour?
Around 1 to 1.5 kWh of electricity plus 300 to 500 litres of water.
Do pressure washers use a lot of electricity?
Moderate per hour, but most people use them a few hours a year.
Electric or petrol pressure washer: which is cheaper to run?
Electric, both in energy and in maintenance.
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 Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery)1,200 W typical
- Electric Sauna Heater6,000 W typical
- Infrared Sauna1,800 W typical
- Electric Grill or Griddle1,600 W typical
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz