How much does it cost to run a heat pump?
About $82.92 a month on the typical usage below, at the U.S. average $0.1816/kWh. Set your own rate and usage and the figure updates instantly.
A heat pump moves heat rather than making it, so it does the work of resistance heat for a fraction of the watts.
Running a heat pump at 45 kWh of heat a day at a COP of 3 costs about
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A heat pump doesn't make heat, it moves it — pulling warmth out of the outside air (even cold air) and concentrating it indoors. That's why a 3,000-watt heat pump can heat a space a 3,000-watt space heater simply can't touch as cheaply: for every watt of electricity it uses, it typically delivers two to four watts' worth of heat, instead of the one-for-one trade you get from resistance heat.
Where the cost actually comes from is runtime, not wattage — run one 8 hours a day and you're paying for roughly 24 kWh, but that number swings hard with outdoor temperature. Below freezing, a heat pump has to work harder (and sometimes lean on backup resistance strips) to hit the same indoor temperature, so the same unit can cost noticeably more to run on a 20°F night than a 40°F one, even with the thermostat set identically.
What drives the cost of running a heat pump
- Outdoor temperature: colder air means a bigger gap between outside and target indoor temp, so the compressor runs longer and, in extreme cold, may trigger auxiliary resistance heat that costs far more per hour.
- Hours of runtime, not just wattage: at the typical 3,000W draw and 8 hours/day, you're looking at roughly 24 kWh/day — but that daily hour count is what actually varies most between mild and cold climates.
- System efficiency (COP): a well-matched, well-maintained heat pump can move 2-4x more heat energy than the electricity it consumes, so an aging or poorly sized unit can quietly cost much more for the same comfort.
How to cut it
- Skip the backup/emergency heat strip setting unless it's genuinely below freezing — that mode is closer to a space heater in cost.
- Keep filters and outdoor coils clean; a blocked unit runs longer to hit the same temperature.
- Use a programmable or smart thermostat to avoid big overnight setback swings — heat pumps recover slowly, and a large setback can trigger costly backup heat.
- Seal drafts and add insulation — every degree of heat loss is degree the compressor has to keep replacing.
Data basis
- Electricity price
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, June 2026 year to date, released 2026-08-26. Retrieved 2026-09-11. Average residential revenue per kWh. A benchmark average, not a utility tariff — it excludes the fixed charges, tiers, time-of-use windows, taxes and fuel adjustments on a real bill.
- Appliance energy
- A representative running power for a heat pump, compiled from published manufacturer specifications and public appliance-energy guidance, and presented as a typical figure with the usual range shown above. It is not a measurement of your unit, and we do not claim a single primary source for it — the nameplate on your appliance, or an hour with a plug-in energy meter, beats any typical figure we can publish.
- Usage model
- Heat moved, not made — 45 kWh of heat a day at a COP of 3
- International prices
- rounded typical household tariffs for each market, in that market's own currency unless the row says US$ equivalent. These are planning benchmarks with no single primary source; enter the per-kWh price from your own bill for an accurate figure.
- Last reviewed
- 20 August 2026. Next scheduled review 20 February 2027.
- Corrections
- Think a figure is wrong? Tell us at corrections@watt-dollar.com and see our corrections policy.
Common questions
How much does it cost to run a heat pump per month?
On the assumption shown above — 45 kWh of heat a day at a COP of 3 — a heat pump costs about $82.92 a month, or $994 a year, at $0.1816/kWh. That price is the U.S. average; set your own rate and usage above and the figure updates.
How is that worked out?
Delivered heating or cooling per day, divided by the seasonal efficiency (COP). At 45 kWh of heat a day at a COP of 3 that is 15.00 kWh a day, which at $0.1816/kWh costs $2.72 a day.
How can I cut the cost of running a heat pump?
Skip the backup/emergency heat strip setting unless it's genuinely below freezing — that mode is closer to a space heater in cost. As a worked example: moving from a COP of 3 to 4 takes it from $994 to $746 a year, about $249 less.
Do I really pay that every year?
Only if you run it every day. Most people don't: over a typical 150-day heating season the same usage comes to about $409. The annual figure assumes daily use all year.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a furnace or space heater?
Almost always yes for whole-space heating. A heat pump moves existing heat instead of generating it from scratch, so it typically delivers 2-4x more heat per watt than electric-resistance heat (like a space heater or heat strips), and often beats gas furnace running costs too depending on local gas vs. electricity prices.
Why does my heat pump cost more to run in extreme cold?
As outdoor temperatures drop, a heat pump has less ambient heat to extract and has to work harder to hit the same indoor setpoint. Below a certain threshold (often around 20-30°F depending on the unit), many systems bring on backup electric-resistance heat strips, which run at a much higher cost per hour than the heat pump alone.
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