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

Source: Planning watts of 1,000 and 1.5 hours a day, hours of running time a day. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 5% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. It runs all year, so the yearly cost is twelve times the monthly figure.

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 $3 a month and the highest $31. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same well 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 46 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 well pump runs whenever the pressure tank needs to refill, which happens every time water is used. Its draw is steady while it runs, and the hours scale with household water use, including outdoor watering.

A typical household well pump is a half to one horsepower motor. The hours depend on how much water the home uses, and leaks or a failing pressure tank can make the pump cycle far more than it should.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 750 to 1,500 watts. At 1.5 hours a day that is $6 to $12 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Listen for short cycling, which can mean a failed pressure tank.
• Fix dripping taps and running toilets.
• Have the system serviced if the pump runs more than usual.

Next step: What uses the most electricity. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the water group: Electric Water Heater, Tankless Water Heater, Sump Pump.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 1,000 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 1.5 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.