How much does a storage unit with electricity cost?

Expect to pay more than you would for the same size unit without power. How much more depends on the facility, and no chain or industry group publishes a national price.

Power usually costs extra in one of two ways: a higher rent for the unit, or a separate fee. Inside Self Storage, an industry trade publication, notes that flex units, which typically include electricity, “command higher rental rates than traditional storage units.”

One facility shows its fees openly. Smith Valley Storage in Greenwood, Indiana lists a $10 a month electrical fee on its 12 by 30 and 12 by 40 units, and a $40 a month gas and electric fee on its largest units.

Storage marketplaces give rough estimates, but they don’t say where the numbers come from and they don’t agree. SpareFoot says powered units “typically cost 20-50% more” than standard units. Storage.com says power adds $15 to $70 a month. Treat both as guesses, not quotes.

The best way to compare is to get the full monthly cost from each facility:

• What’s the rent for this unit with power, and for the same size without?
• Is there a separate electric fee, or is power metered?
• Are there limits on what I can plug in that would make it less useful to me?

A cheaper unit with no outlet isn’t a bargain if you’d have to pay for a power station or drive home to charge things. See how power in a unit is billed for what to look for in the lease.