Baseboard heaters typically use 250 watts per foot. Measure the length of your baseboard heaters and multiply the length in feet by 250 to find the wattage of your heaters. For example, a 6-foot long baseboard heater would use 1,500 watts (250 times 6). Visit the Department of Energy website for another good resource.
The chart below shows the location, length, and resulting watts of baseboard heaters that may be found around a home, how much these use per hour, and the cost at Gunnison County Electric Association’s current rate of $0.12918 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
| Location | Length in feet | Watts | kWh run for one hour | Cost at GCEA’s Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living room | 10 | 2,500 | 2.5 | $0.32 |
| Master bedroom | 10 | 2,500 | 2.5 | $0.32 |
| Second bedroom | 10 | 2,500 | 2.5 | $0.32 |
| Living room | 8 | 2,000 | 2.0 | $0.26 |
| Dining room | 8 | 2,000 | 2.0 | $0.26 |
| Master bedroom | 8 | 2,000 | 2.0 | $0.26 |
| Office | 8 | 2,000 | 2.0 | $0.26 |
| Dining room | 6 | 1,500 | 1.5 | $0.19 |
| Master bathroom | 5 | 1,250 | 1.25 | $0.16 |
| Mudroom | 4 | 1,000 | 1.0 | $0.13 |
| Upstairs bathroom | 3 | 750 | 0.75 | $0.10 |
| Upstairs bathroom | 2 | 500 | 0.5 | $0.06 |
| Total | 82 | 20,500 | 20.5 | $2.65 |
Appliance Usage Information
| Item | Watts per item | kWh run for one hour | Cost at GCEA’s rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oven | 11,000 | 11 | $1.42 |
| Clothes dryer | 5,600 | 5.6 | $0.72 |
| Electric water heater | 4,500 | 4.5 | $0.58 |
| Large stove burner | 1,600 | 1.6 | $0.21 |
| Stock tank heater | 1,500 | 1.5 | $0.19 |
| Space heater | 1,500 | 1.5 | $0.19 |
| Furnace fan | 1,440 | 1.4 | $0.18 |
| Dishwasher | 660 to 1,320 | 0.7 to 1.3 | $0.09 to $0.17 |
| Small stove burner | 1,200 | 1.2 | $0.16 |
| Trash compactor | 1,200 | 1.2 | $0.16 |
| Microwave | 1,000 | 1 | $0.13 |
| Coffee maker | 900 | 0.9 | $0.12 |
| Microwave | 800 | 0.8 | $0.10 |
| Refrigerator | 750 | 0.8 | $0.10 |
| Clothes washer | 720 | 0.7 | $0.09 |
| Toaster | 700 | 0.7 | $0.09 |
| Disposal | 373 | 0.37 | $0.05 |
| Garage door opener in operation | 373 | 0.37 | $0.05 |
| Heat lamp | 250 | 0.25 | $0.03 |
| Vent fans | 120 | 0.12 | $0.02 |
| Incandescent light bulb | 100 | 0.1 | $0.0129 |
| Television (average wattage) | 90 | 0.09 | $0.0116 |
| Incandescent light bulb | 75 | 0.075 | $0.0097 |
| Incandescent light bulb | 65 | 0.065 | $0.0084 |
| Halogen light bulb | 50 | 0.05 | $0.0065 |
| Laptop | 50 | 0.05 | $0.0065 |
| Incandescent light bulb | 40 | 0.04 | $0.0052 |
| Incandescent light bulb | 25 | 0.025 | $0.0032 |
| LED light bulb (100 watt equivalent) | 18 | 0.018 | $0.0023 |