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10 States Where Energy Costs the Most To Run Basic Household Appliances

March 5, 2025

3 min Read

Written by John Csiszar

Edited by Rebekah Evans

Electric bill charges paper form on the table.

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When it comes to figuring out how expensive an appliance is, many buyers only focus on the initial purchase price. But the ongoing cost of the electricity needed to operate them can really add up. In fact, depending on where you live, the cost can be quite sizable.

To determine the states where energy for appliances cost the most amount of money, home warranty experts Cinch Home Services determined the cost of running five common appliances using data from Energy Star. Appliances used for the purposes of the analysis were a dishwasher, refrigerator with bottom freezer, clothes washer, clothes dryer and electric range cooker.

Once usage data was assessed, it was compared to the Environmental Investigation Agency’s average electric costs per each U.S. state.

Here are some of the highlights of the findings:

Hawaii was by far the most expensive state in which to operate appliances, with an annual cost a whopping 32% above No. 2: California.
Utah’s annual electric cost was only $172.59 per year, meaning its residents pay 76% less per year than those in Hawaii.
Even though Maine ranked No. 10 in terms of the most expensive states, its residents pay less than half the amount that Hawaiians do — 45%, to be exact.

According to the data, dishwashers and clothes dryers, which are often considered “non-essential” appliances as opposed to the “essentials” like refrigerators, are actually significant contributors to high energy bills. This suggests that a bit of manual labor or even a small reduction in the usage of those appliances, could result in substantial savings.

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The study also shows that the Energy Star ratings for appliances, which are often overlooked by buyers, can actually be even more important when it comes to the total cost of an appliance than its upfront price.

Here are the specific electrical cost figures for the 10 most expensive states in the country, ranked in descending order.