The short answer
An electric fireplace with its 1,500 W heater on costs about 27 cents an hour at the U.S. average electricity rate of 18.16¢ per kWh (August 2026); the LED flame effect alone costs a fraction of a cent an hour. Four hours of heat and four hours of flame alone a day is about $33.12 a month, nearly all of it for the heat.
The same fireplace in every state
A 1,500 W heater 4 hours a day plus a 10 W LED flame alone 4 hours a day, 30 days, at each state's average residential rate (August 2026).
| Alabama | $29.79 | $0.25 | 16.33¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $53.64 | $0.44 | 29.41¢ |
| Arizona | $27.45 | $0.23 | 15.05¢ |
| Arkansas | $26.21 | $0.22 | 14.37¢ |
| California | $54.26 | $0.45 | 29.75¢ |
| Colorado | $31.32 | $0.26 | 17.17¢ |
| Connecticut | $44.71 | $0.37 | 24.51¢ |
| Delaware | $34.11 | $0.28 | 18.70¢ |
| District of Columbia | $47.39 | $0.39 | 25.98¢ |
| Florida | $27.34 | $0.23 | 14.99¢ |
| Georgia | $29.00 | $0.24 | 15.90¢ |
| Hawaii | $86.06 | $0.71 | 47.18¢ |
| Idaho | $24.39 | $0.20 | 13.37¢ |
| Illinois | $35.24 | $0.29 | 19.32¢ |
| Indiana | $31.04 | $0.26 | 17.02¢ |
| Iowa | $31.12 | $0.26 | 17.06¢ |
| Kansas | $28.22 | $0.23 | 15.47¢ |
| Kentucky | $25.17 | $0.21 | 13.80¢ |
| Louisiana | $23.47 | $0.19 | 12.87¢ |
| Maine | $58.57 | $0.48 | 32.11¢ |
| Maryland | $39.03 | $0.32 | 21.40¢ |
| Massachusetts | $55.60 | $0.46 | 30.48¢ |
| Michigan | $41.93 | $0.35 | 22.99¢ |
| Minnesota | $31.37 | $0.26 | 17.20¢ |
| Mississippi | $26.32 | $0.22 | 14.43¢ |
| Missouri | $29.22 | $0.24 | 16.02¢ |
| Montana | $28.40 | $0.24 | 15.57¢ |
| Nebraska | $24.70 | $0.20 | 13.54¢ |
| Nevada | $23.20 | $0.19 | 12.72¢ |
| New Hampshire | $50.42 | $0.42 | 27.64¢ |
| New Jersey | $44.89 | $0.37 | 24.61¢ |
| New Mexico | $30.11 | $0.25 | 16.51¢ |
| New York | $52.26 | $0.43 | 28.65¢ |
| North Carolina | $27.27 | $0.23 | 14.95¢ |
| North Dakota | $24.28 | $0.20 | 13.31¢ |
| Ohio | $35.35 | $0.29 | 19.38¢ |
| Oklahoma | $27.03 | $0.22 | 14.82¢ |
| Oregon | $29.04 | $0.24 | 15.92¢ |
| Pennsylvania | $39.71 | $0.33 | 21.77¢ |
| Rhode Island | $51.40 | $0.43 | 28.18¢ |
| South Carolina | $28.75 | $0.24 | 15.76¢ |
| South Dakota | $27.63 | $0.23 | 15.15¢ |
| Tennessee | $24.48 | $0.20 | 13.42¢ |
| Texas | $29.02 | $0.24 | 15.91¢ |
| Utah | $24.28 | $0.20 | 13.31¢ |
| Vermont | $43.48 | $0.36 | 23.84¢ |
| Virginia | $32.18 | $0.27 | 17.64¢ |
| Washington | $26.69 | $0.22 | 14.63¢ |
| West Virginia | $29.75 | $0.25 | 16.31¢ |
| Wisconsin | $35.40 | $0.29 | 19.41¢ |
| Wyoming | $26.32 | $0.22 | 14.43¢ |
How it works
The formula
cost = kWh × rate
Assumptions
- Heater: 1,500 W is the most a standard 120 V outlet should feed, and most plug-in fireplaces use it; some have a 750 W low setting. The heater's thermostat cycles it off once the room is warm, so real cost is often lower.
- Flame effect: about 10 W on LED models (Dimplex lists 10 W flame-only for its Optiflame fires) and just under 300 W on older bulb-lit models (Dimplex support). Check your model's manual.
- Both run whenever the heater is on; "flame alone" is the extra hours with heat off.
Worked example: evenings by the fire
1,500 W heater 4 hours, then the LED flame alone 4 more, every day for 30 days
- Heat: 1,510 W × 4 h × 30 ÷ 1,000 = 181.2 kWh
- Flame alone: 10 W × 4 h × 30 ÷ 1,000 = 1.2 kWh
- 182.4 kWh × 18.16¢ = $33.12 a month
Ways to cut the cost
- Use the flame alone for ambiance; it costs almost nothing on LED models.
- Turn the house heat down while you sit by the fireplace, or it just adds to the bill.
- Use the thermostat and low setting so the heater cycles off once the room is warm.
- Close the door to keep the heat in the room you're using.
- Plug it into the wall, on its own circuit if you can, never into an extension cord.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to run an electric fireplace?
With the heater on, about 27 cents an hour at the U.S. average of 18.16¢ per kWh (EIA, August 2026), the same as a 1,500 W space heater. Four hours of heat and four of flame alone a day comes to about $33.12 a month; $23.20 in Nevada and $86.06 in Hawaii.
How much does the flame effect cost without heat?
Almost nothing on a newer LED model: about 10 W, so $0.22 a month for 4 hours a night. Older bulb-lit flames draw closer to 300 W, about $6.32 a month for the same use.
Is an electric fireplace cheaper than central heat?
For one room you're sitting in, it can be, if you turn the thermostat down for the rest of the house: it heats only that room. Per unit of heat, though, it's electric resistance heat, which costs more than gas or a heat pump. Our space heater calculator compares the two for your state.
Do electric fireplaces use a lot of electricity?
Only with the heater on. At 1,500 W the heater is one of the biggest plug-in loads in a home; the flame alone is about as much as a phone charger on LED models.
Is it safe to leave an electric fireplace on overnight?
Follow the maker's instructions. Plug it straight into a wall outlet, not an extension cord or power strip, keep curtains and furniture clear of the heater outlet, and use the timer or thermostat so the heater cycles off.