Electric Garage Heater Running Cost
Find out exactly what your electric garage heater costs per hour, day and month.
A 5,000-watt electric garage heater costs $0.92/hour, $3.69/day (4 hrs), and $110.64/month (4 hrs/day, 30 days) at the US average electricity rate of 18.44¢/kWh — EIA Electric Power Monthly, May 2026.
Calculate Electric Garage Heater Cost
Electric Garage Heater Cost by Wattage
| Wattage | Cost/Hour | Cost/Day (4 hrs) | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000W | $0.55 | $2.21 | $66.38 |
| 5,000W | $0.92 | $3.69 | $110.64 |
| 7,500W | $1.38 | $5.53 | $165.96 |
| 10,000W | $1.84 | $7.38 | $221.28 |
18.44¢/kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, May 2026), 4 hrs/day, 30 days. Electric resistance heat is about 100% efficient, so cost is simply wattage x hours x rate — the heater type (fan-forced, infrared, baseboard) makes no difference at the same wattage.
Is Electric Heat a Good Choice for a Garage?
Electric garage heaters have the lowest upfront cost and the simplest installation — no gas line, no flue. What they do not have is cheap running cost. At 5,000 watts and the US average rate of 18.44¢/kWh, a heater run 4 hours a day costs about $0.92/hour and about $110.64/month. See the full electric heat cost guide for whole-home context.
Electric resistance is the most expensive way to deliver a BTU almost everywhere in the US. At the national average it costs about $54 per million BTU delivered, against about $18 for natural gas and about $35 for propane. Low-rate states narrow the gap but do not close it: the same 5,000W heater costs about $90/month in Washington (14.95¢/kWh) and about $85/month in Louisiana (14.15¢/kWh). Even in Idaho, the cheapest state in the country at 12.35¢/kWh, electric heat costs about $36 per million BTU — roughly level with propane, and still several times natural gas.
The honest case for an electric garage heater is not the energy bill. It is that there is nothing to vent, nothing to refill, no combustion inside a space where you may be running an engine or storing fuel, and a purchase price in the low hundreds. If you heat the garage occasionally rather than continuously, that trade usually wins. For a wattage sizing guide — and why the usual 10 W/sq ft rule understates an uninsulated garage — see garage heater wattage recommendations.
State and national electricity rates: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, May 2026 — a single month, not a 2026 annual average. Natural gas $1.44/therm (EIA, winter average, November 2025 - March 2026 (US); December 2025 - February 2026 (by state)) and propane $2.55/gal (EIA heating-season average, October 2025 - March 2026), both at 80% appliance efficiency.