How much does it cost to run a robot vacuum?
EIA data · June 2026About 33.5¢ 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.
1.8 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 20–90 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
A robot vacuum sits mid-table at #79 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether home & cleaning or something else drives your bill.
Every figure here is priced per kilowatt-hour. What a kilowatt-hour actually is.
How many watts a robot vacuum uses
A robot vacuum draws roughly 30–50 W while cleaning and charging. Self-emptying docks add a brief high-draw burst of 500–1,000 W when they evacuate the bin.
- Low
- 20 W
- Typical
- 40 W
- High
- 90 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 40 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $11.55 |
| California | 34.74 | $7.61 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $6.48 |
| New York | 29.49 | $6.46 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $4.20 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $3.49 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $3.31 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $2.93 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $2.90 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $2.87 |
Worth knowing
- A robot vacuum uses a small fraction of an upright's wattage but runs much longer, and the totals end up in the same range.
- The dock draws a few watts continuously to keep the battery topped up, which over a year exceeds the cleaning itself.
- Self-emptying docks are loud and briefly power-hungry, but the burst lasts seconds and is negligible over a month.
Other appliances
- Vacuum cleaner
- Hair dryer
- Air purifier
- Steam mop
- Space heater
- Central air conditioner
- Window air conditioner
- Electric water 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.