Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In Illinois the rate is 23.85 cents per kWh, which is 29.3 percent above the national average. Here is what that means for a pool pump.
A pool pump drawing 1,500 W costs $0.36 per hour in Illinois. Run 8 hours a day that is $2.86 daily, $85.86 a month and $1,045 a year, which is $237 more than the same appliance at the US average rate.
Pool pump cost at Illinois rates
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Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
Cost by hours used per day in Illinois
| Hours/day | Energy | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 1.50 kWh | $0.36 | $10.73 |
| 2 h | 3.00 kWh | $0.72 | $21.47 |
| 4 h | 6.00 kWh | $1.43 | $42.93 |
| 6 h | 9.00 kWh | $2.15 | $64.40 |
| 8 h | 12.00 kWh | $2.86 | $85.86 |
| 12 h | 18.00 kWh | $4.29 | $129 |
| 24 h | 36.00 kWh | $8.59 | $258 |
Cost by wattage at 23.85 cents
| Rated power | Per hour | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 750 W | $0.18 | $1.43 | $42.93 |
| 1,000 W | $0.24 | $1.91 | $57.24 |
| 1,500 W | $0.36 | $2.86 | $85.86 |
| 2,000 W | $0.48 | $3.82 | $114 |
| 2,500 W | $0.60 | $4.77 | $143 |
Find the row matching the nameplate on your own unit. Within a single appliance category the spread is often wider than the difference between categories, so the label is worth reading.
Pool season in Illinois
Pool season in Illinois is limited, typically four to six months, so apply the monthly figure across that window rather than twelve months. Winterising properly matters more than pump efficiency in a climate like this.
Why Illinois pays what it does
Illinois has a competitive retail electricity market, so the rate used here blends households on the utility default with households on shopped supply plans. If you have never switched supplier you are probably on the default, which is usually the more expensive side of that blend. Only the generation portion of your bill changes when you switch; delivery and outage response do not.
At 23.85 cents, Illinois ranks 40 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive. The Midwest regional average is 16.55 cents. Roughly half of any residential bill is transmission and distribution rather than generation, which is why rates keep climbing even when fuel prices fall.
How this compares across the country
The same pool pump on the same schedule, in the cheapest and dearest states:
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $44.46 | $541 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $46.66 | $568 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $85.86 | $1,045 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $120 | $1,456 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $187 | $2,278 |
Lowering the number in Illinois
- Work out your actual turnover requirement. Many pumps are scheduled for eight or twelve hours when four would filter the volume.
- Reduce runtime in steps. Cut an hour, watch the water a week, cut another.
- Switch to variable speed. Power rises with the cube of flow, so slower for longer moves the same water for roughly a quarter of the energy.
- Keep skimmer and pump baskets clear. A restricted intake makes the motor fight pressure it should not see.
- Run off-peak if you are on a time-of-use plan. Nobody cares when a pool pump runs.
Offsetting it with solar in Illinois
This load uses about 12.00 kWh a day. Covering that would take roughly 9 standard 400 W panels at typical sun hours, an array of about 3.60 kW. Because it offsets electricity worth 23.85 cents rather than the national 18.44 cents, the same array is worth more here than the national payback figures suggest.
Pool pumps are the ideal solar load: large, daytime, and completely flexible about timing. Variable-speed pumps make the match better still. Full sizing, including battery and inverter requirements, is on the solar sizing page for this appliance.