How Much Does It Cost to Run a Pool Pump per Day and Month?

Source: Planning watts of 1,500 and 8 hours a day, hours a day in swimming season. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 42% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. Because it runs only about 6 months a year, the yearly cost is 6 times the monthly figure, not twelve.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $16 a month and the highest $113. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same pool pump costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 365 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

A single-speed pool pump runs at full power every minute it is on. A variable-speed pump can turn the motor down to a low speed for routine filtering, and because motor power falls steeply with speed, the savings can be large.

A single-speed pump draws about 1,500 watts. A variable-speed pump can run at a small fraction of that power, which is why it can pay for itself over a few seasons in a hot state.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 200 to 2,000 watts. At 8 hours a day that is $8 to $84 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Switch to a variable-speed pump and run it at the lowest speed that keeps water clear.
• Run the pump at off-peak hours if your plan has time-of-use rates.
• Keep the filter clean so the pump works less.

Next step: Time-of-use rates explained. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the outdoor and extras group: Hot Tub, Dehumidifier, Humidifier, Aquarium.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 1,500 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 8 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.