How many watts does a Electric Water Heater use?

A Electric Water Heater draws a steady 4,000 watts with no meaningful startup surge, since it has no motor to spin up. Large resistive load — no motor surge, but draws heavily whenever the element is on.

Running it 3 hours/day costs roughly $61.20/month at the U.S. average residential rate (~$0.17/kWh, early 2026, per the EIA) — real rates vary a lot by state and utility. Use your own rate in the House calculator →

Generators that can run this

• Honda EM5000SX
  4,500 W run · 5,000 W start · ~$2,799
• Briggs & Stratton Q6500 QuietPower
  5,000 W run · 6,500 W start · ~$1,000
• Honda EU7000iS
  5,500 W run · 7,000 W start · ~$4,999

Prices as of July 2026 — check the current listing before buying.