If you have a pool and a single-speed pump, that pump is almost certainly the largest electricity consumer on your property, ahead of the air conditioning. It is also the appliance with the largest available saving of anything in a house, and the fix has been well understood for twenty years.
A single-speed pool pump draws around 1,500 W and typically runs eight hours a day, which is $2.21 a day at 18.44ยข per kWh and $66.38 a month. Over a 180-day season that is $398. A variable-speed pump doing the same filtration typically costs a fifth to a quarter of that.
Calculate it for your own pool pump
Change any box. The result updates as you type.
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.
| Run time | Electricity used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour of runtime | 1.50 kWh | $0.28 |
| Per day at 8 hours | 12.00 kWh | $2.21 |
| Per week | 84.00 kWh | $15.49 |
| Per 30-day month | 360.00 kWh | $66.38 |
| Per year of that pattern | 4,380.00 kWh | $808 |
Why halving the speed saves three quarters of the energy
Pump power rises roughly with the cube of flow rate. Halve the speed and you use about an eighth of the power, while moving half the water. To filter the same total volume you run twice as long, so the arithmetic lands at roughly a quarter of the energy for the same turnover.
This is why variable-speed pumps win so decisively, and why running a single-speed pump for fewer hours is a much weaker version of the same idea. The single-speed pump has one setting, and that setting is far faster than filtration actually requires.
| Rated power | Per hour | Per day (8 h) | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 750 W | $0.14 | $1.11 | $33.19 |
| 1,000 W | $0.18 | $1.48 | $44.26 |
| 1,500 W | $0.28 | $2.21 | $66.38 |
| 2,000 W | $0.37 | $2.95 | $88.51 |
| 2,500 W | $0.46 | $3.69 | $111 |
Cost by daily runtime
| Hours per day | kWh per day | Per day | Per 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 1.50 | $0.28 | $8.30 |
| 2 h | 3.00 | $0.55 | $16.60 |
| 4 h | 6.00 | $1.11 | $33.19 |
| 6 h | 9.00 | $1.66 | $49.79 |
| 8 h | 12.00 | $2.21 | $66.38 |
| 12 h | 18.00 | $3.32 | $99.58 |
| 24 h | 36.00 | $6.64 | $199 |
Pool pump cost across electricity rates
| Your rate | Per hour | Per day (8 h) | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.00¢/kWh | $0.15 | $1.20 | $36.00 | $438 |
| 13.00¢/kWh | $0.20 | $1.56 | $46.80 | $569 |
| 15.00¢/kWh | $0.22 | $1.80 | $54.00 | $657 |
| 18.44¢/kWh | $0.28 | $2.21 | $66.38 | $808 |
| 22.00¢/kWh | $0.33 | $2.64 | $79.20 | $964 |
| 26.00¢/kWh | $0.39 | $3.12 | $93.60 | $1,139 |
| 30.00¢/kWh | $0.45 | $3.60 | $108 | $1,314 |
| 35.00¢/kWh | $0.52 | $4.20 | $126 | $1,533 |
Pool pump running cost by state
Eight hours a day, every state. Pool ownership concentrates in warm states, which is fortunate given what the northeastern rates would do to these numbers.
| State | Rate | Per hour | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $0.25 | $2.01 | $60.37 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $0.42 | $3.39 | $102 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $0.23 | $1.83 | $54.83 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $0.22 | $1.72 | $51.70 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $0.50 | $3.99 | $120 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $0.24 | $1.94 | $58.18 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $0.41 | $3.28 | $98.53 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $0.29 | $2.33 | $69.77 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $0.38 | $3.05 | $91.44 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $0.23 | $1.82 | $54.61 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $0.24 | $1.90 | $57.02 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $0.78 | $6.24 | $187 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $0.19 | $1.48 | $44.46 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $0.36 | $2.86 | $85.86 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $0.27 | $2.18 | $65.34 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $0.21 | $1.70 | $50.90 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $0.23 | $1.82 | $54.47 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $0.22 | $1.80 | $53.93 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $0.21 | $1.70 | $50.94 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $0.43 | $3.44 | $103 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $0.33 | $2.61 | $78.37 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $0.43 | $3.46 | $104 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $0.33 | $2.64 | $79.24 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $0.25 | $2.03 | $61.02 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $0.24 | $1.94 | $58.18 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $0.21 | $1.64 | $49.25 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $0.22 | $1.76 | $52.81 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $0.20 | $1.63 | $48.92 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $0.20 | $1.63 | $48.96 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $0.41 | $3.28 | $98.39 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $0.35 | $2.79 | $83.77 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $0.21 | $1.69 | $50.83 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $0.45 | $3.59 | $108 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $0.23 | $1.81 | $54.32 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $0.20 | $1.63 | $49.00 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $0.29 | $2.34 | $70.27 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $0.20 | $1.61 | $48.17 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $0.24 | $1.95 | $58.57 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $0.32 | $2.59 | $77.58 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $0.44 | $3.54 | $106 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $0.24 | $1.94 | $58.25 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $0.24 | $1.89 | $56.63 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $0.22 | $1.74 | $52.09 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $0.25 | $1.97 | $59.18 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $0.19 | $1.56 | $46.66 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $0.37 | $2.99 | $89.60 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $0.26 | $2.11 | $63.40 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $0.22 | $1.79 | $53.82 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $0.25 | $2.02 | $60.48 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $0.30 | $2.37 | $71.06 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $0.22 | $1.78 | $53.28 |
Five ways to cut pool pump cost
Most pools do not need the runtime they get. The requirement is one full turnover of the water per day, and many pumps are sized to do that in four hours while being scheduled for eight or twelve out of habit.
- Work out your actual turnover. Pool volume in gallons divided by pump flow in gallons per hour gives the hours needed. Anything beyond that is optional.
- Reduce runtime in steps. Cut an hour, watch the water for a week, cut another. Cloudy water tells you when you have gone too far.
- Run during off-peak hours. Pool pumps are the ideal time-of-use load because nobody cares when they run.
- Keep the skimmer and pump baskets clear. A restricted intake makes the motor work against pressure it should not be seeing.
- Consider a variable-speed replacement. At current rates the energy saving on a heavily used pool often pays back the pump within two seasons, which is unusually fast for an equipment upgrade.
How this compares to everything else you plug in
Per hour of runtime against the other outdoor and utility loads.
| Appliance | Typical power | Cost per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Pool pump | 1,500 W | $0.28 |
| Hot tub | 1,500 W | $0.28 |
| Well pump | 750 W | $0.14 |
| Sump pump | 800 W | $0.15 |
| Central air conditioner | 3,500 W | $0.65 |
| Electric water heater | 4,000 W | $0.74 |
Questions people actually ask
How much does it cost to run a pool pump per month?
How many watts does a pool pump use?
How many hours a day should a pool pump run?
Is a variable speed pool pump worth it?
Is it cheaper to run a pool pump at night?
Does a pool heater cost more than the pump?
Related running costs
Running it on solar
A pool pump uses 12.00 kWh a day, which needs about 9 standard 400 W panels. Full array, battery and inverter sizing is on how many solar panels to run a pool pump.
Run the numbers on your own bill
Costs on this page use a national average residential rate of 18.44¢ per kWh (August 2026, EIA-derived state residential averages). Your own rate is printed on your electricity bill and is the number that actually matters. Every figure here is recalculated from one central rate setting, so these tables move when the national average moves.