How much does it cost to run an oil-filled radiator?
EIA data · June 2026About $40.16 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.
219.0 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 700–1,500 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
60% duty cycle applied — it draws power for part of that time.
An oil-filled radiator is #10 of 88 on this site by annual cost, so it is probably not the only thing worth checking. See what an oil-filled radiator costs beside everything else you run.
Published figures for this appliance disagree by a wide margin. Why other sites price an oil-filled radiator so differently.
How many watts an oil-filled radiator uses
Oil-filled column heaters are plug-in resistance heaters and are therefore built to the same 1,500 W ceiling as any 120-volt heater. Most offer 700 W and 1,000 W settings below that.
- Low
- 700 W
- Typical
- 1,500 W
- High
- 1,500 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 1,500 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $1,385 |
| California | 34.74 | $913 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $778 |
| New York | 29.49 | $775 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $504 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $419 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $397 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $351 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $348 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $345 |
Worth knowing
- The oil is a heat store, not a fuel — it is sealed, never replaced, and does not make the heater cheaper to run than a fan heater at the same setting.
- What the oil does buy is a gentler cycle: the radiator keeps releasing heat after the element switches off, so the thermostat fires less often.
- Like every resistance heater, one watt in gives one watt of heat. The only electric heating that beats this is a heat pump.
Other appliances
- Space heater
- Central air conditioner
- Window air conditioner
- Dehumidifier
- Ceiling fan
- Electric blanket
- Heat pump
- Electric baseboard heater
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.