How Much Does It Cost to Run a Shop Vacuum in British Columbia? (2026)
Shop vacuums draw 800 to 1,800 watts while running. Fifteen minutes of cleanup uses about 0.3 kWh, comparable to a household vacuum.
A typical shop vacuum (1,200 W) costs C$0.15 per hour, or about C$1.13 per month at 0.25 hours a day in British Columbia. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 800 W | C$0.10 | C$0.025 | C$0.76 | C$9.20 |
| Typical 1,200 W | C$0.15 | C$0.038 | C$1.13 | C$13.80 |
| High 1,800 W | C$0.23 | C$0.057 | C$1.70 | C$20.70 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.25 h/day ≈ 110 kWh per year.
One hour of a shop vacuum (1.2 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 6.7km in an electric car
- 12hours of TV
- 27hours of a laptop
- 133hours of an LED bulb
In British Columbia, with electricity at 12.6¢ per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), a typical shop vacuum costs C$0.15 per hour and about C$13.80 per year at 0.25 hours a day. That is about 10% less than the national average for Canada (C$1.26 per month), because electricity in British Columbia costs 12.6¢ per kWh against 14.0¢ nationally. Each C$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 6.6 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a shop vacuum
- Empty the drum and clean the filter. A clogged filter makes the motor run harder.
- Use the right hose diameter for the tool to keep suction efficient.
- Switch it off between tasks instead of leaving it running.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a shop vac?
About 0.3 kWh per 15 minutes.
Is a shop vac more expensive to run than a regular vacuum?
Similar. Both sit in the 800 to 1,800 watt range.
Do cordless shop vacs use less energy?
Per minute yes, but charging losses make the total similar.
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
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz