How Much to Run a Space Heater in Wisconsin? $441/Winter
Running space heater in Wisconsin costs about $0.28 an hour and roughly $441 for the winter — 1,500 W for 8.8 hours a day at 18.39¢/kWh.
· Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23
On this page: CalculatorTableHow we calculatedSources
Jump to calculator ↓Slider nudges the Wisconsin rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.28 at 18.39¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $441 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 8.8 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 6,152 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 1,500 W (typical 750–1,500)
- Wisconsin rate
- 18.39¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 8 (8th most expensive)
Why this number
Wisconsin runs space heater longer than the national baseline in October–March — 8.8 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 5.0 nationally — and pays 18.39¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 1,500 W, are the whole $441.
Space heater cost in Wisconsin by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Wisconsin avg 18.39¢ | Wisconsin Electric Pow 19.2¢ | Wisconsin Power & Ligh 16.9¢ | Wisconsin Public Servi 16.2¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.28 / $50 | $0.29 / $52 | $0.25 / $46 | $0.24 / $44 |
| 2 h | $0.55 / $100 | $0.58 / $105 | $0.51 / $92 | $0.49 / $88 |
| 4 h | $1.10 / $201 | $1.15 / $210 | $1.01 / $185 | $0.97 / $177 |
| 6 h | $1.66 / $301 | $1.73 / $314 | $1.52 / $277 | $1.46 / $265 |
| 8 h | $2.21 / $402 | $2.30 / $419 | $2.03 / $369 | $1.94 / $354 |
| 12 h | $3.31 / $602 | $3.46 / $629 | $3.04 / $554 | $2.92 / $531 |
What Wisconsin’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 8.8 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Electric Power Co | 1,048,148 | 19.2¢ | $0.29 | $461 |
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | 437,211 | 16.9¢ | $0.25 | $405 |
| Wisconsin Public Service Corp | 411,775 | 16.2¢ | $0.24 | $389 |
What the numbers say about space heater in Wisconsin
Wisconsin logged 6,152 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 176% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs space heater 8.8 hours a day against the national 5.0 — 3.8 hours more. At Wisconsin’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 18.39¢/kWh that makes it the 8th most expensive of the 20 cold states for space heater: $441 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $220 and Maine’s $752. Wisconsin Electric Power Co, Wisconsin’s largest utility with 1,048,148 residential customers, averages 19.2¢ — $461 for the same hours — while Wisconsin Public Service Corp at 16.2¢ comes to $389, a $72 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, resistance heat at 18.39¢ costs $53.90 against $11.47 for natural gas at Wisconsin’s winter average of $1.09/therm, so a 1,500 W heater is a room-by-room supplement in Wisconsin, not a whole-house plan. Wisconsin’s winter-average rate (18.39¢) sits 0.67¢ below its July 2026 reading of 19.06¢; the season figure uses the winter average because that is when space heater runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run space heater per hour in Wisconsin?
$0.28 an hour for a 1,500 W unit at Wisconsin’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 18.39¢/kWh (1,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1839); at Wisconsin Electric Power Co’s 19.2¢ it is $0.29.
How much does space heater cost for the whole winter in Wisconsin?
About $441: 1,500 W × 8.8 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 18.39¢. The hours are the national 5.0 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (6,152 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is space heater expensive to run in Wisconsin compared with other cold states?
Wisconsin is the 8th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $441 a winter; the range runs from Nebraska ($220) to Maine ($752), driven almost entirely by the electricity rate.
How we calculated this
Worked for space heater in Wisconsin: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1839 $/kWh = $0.28 per hour; hours per day = 5.0 × (6,152 ÷ 3,500) = 8.8; 1,500 ÷ 1,000 × 8.8 × 182 × 0.1839 = $441 for the winter. Rate: EIA Electric Power Monthly 5.6.A (October 2025–March 2026 average); degree-days: NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026, against the CONUS total; utility prices: EIA-861 2024.Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.
Where to go next
- Cost to run space heater (national page) — The 1,500 W and 5.0 h/day baseline this page scales for Wisconsin, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Wisconsin — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Wisconsin’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Wisconsin averages 18.39¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Wisconsin — Wisconsin’s 19.06¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run heat pump in Wisconsin — Same Wisconsin rates and degree-days applied to a 3,500 W heat pump.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Wisconsin — Same Wisconsin rates and degree-days applied to a 2,000 W ductless mini-split.
- Cost to run space heater in Michigan — $454 for the winter at 20.11¢ and 8.3 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run space heater in Minnesota — $413 for the winter at 15.41¢ and 9.8 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.