How much does it cost to run a garage door opener?
EIA data · June 2026About 73.6¢ a month at the U.S. average price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour — but that figure moves a long way depending on where you live. Set your state below.
4.0 kWh a month at the U.S. average, 18.34¢/kWh for June 2026. Excludes fixed charges, taxes and time-of-use rates, which vary by utility and are on your bill.
Typical 350–750 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
1% duty cycle applied — it draws power for part of that time.
A garage door opener sits mid-table at #74 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether water & outdoor or something else drives your bill.
Published figures for this appliance disagree by a wide margin. Why other sites price a garage door opener so differently.
How many watts a garage door opener uses
The motor draws roughly 350–750 W depending on horsepower, but only for the ten to fifteen seconds the door is moving. Standby draw for the radio receiver and light is 2–8 W continuously.
- Low
- 350 W
- Typical
- 550 W
- High
- 750 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 550 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $25.40 |
| California | 34.74 | $16.74 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $14.27 |
| New York | 29.49 | $14.21 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $9.25 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $7.68 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $7.28 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $6.44 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $6.38 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $6.32 |
Worth knowing
- Standby costs more than operation. A few watts held around the clock outweighs a handful of fifteen-second motor runs each day.
- The opener light is often the largest part of the total. Replacing two incandescent bulbs with LEDs saves more than anything to do with the motor.
- A door that reverses and retries because of a misaligned safety sensor multiplies motor runtime, and is worth fixing for reasons well beyond electricity.
Other appliances
- Electric water heater
- Electric vehicle charging
- Hot tub
- Pool pump
- Well pump
- Sump pump
- Water softener
- Electric sauna
Prices are statewide residential averages for June 2026 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. They exclude fixed monthly charges, taxes and time-of-use rates. See how these figures are calculated.