How Much Does a Heat Pump Cost to Run? (2026 Data by State)

All figures use the April 2026 US residential average of 18.05¢/kWh from the EIA Electric Power Monthly. Wattage tiers come from manufacturer spec sheets for Carrier, Trane, and Mitsubishi systems. The RunWatts heat pump calculator runs this math at your state's rate.

2-ton / small home (1,800W): $64.33 a month heating (12h/day), $42.89 cooling (8h/day). 3-ton / typical (2,500W): $89.35 heating, $59.57 cooling, $29.78 shoulder season (4h/day). 4-ton / large home (3,500W): $125.09 heating, $83.39 cooling.

The math is the same for every tier: watts times hours times the 0.55 duty cycle (the compressor cycles on and off, not continuous), divided by 1,000, times your rate. A 3-ton system at 12 hours a day: 2,500W × 12h × 0.55 ÷ 1,000 = 16.5 kWh per day, or 495 kWh per month, times $0.1805 = $89.35.

A 2-ton (1,800W) heat pump costs $0.18 per hour of operation. A typical 3-ton (2,500W) costs $0.25 per hour. A 4-ton (3,500W) costs $0.35. At the high end, a 5-ton (5,000W) system runs $0.50 per hour.

These are effective costs, not peak-draw costs. The 0.55 duty cycle means the compressor runs about 33 minutes out of every hour during typical operation. When you hear the system cycle on and off, that's the duty cycle at work. The per-hour cost already accounts for those off-minutes.

A heat pump does both jobs on one electric bill. Winter heating is the expensive season because the system runs longer hours and works harder against a larger temperature difference.

For a typical 3-ton system: winter heating at 12 hours a day costs $89.35 a month (495 kWh). Summer cooling at 8 hours a day costs $59.57 (330 kWh). Shoulder months at 4 hours a day run $29.78 (165 kWh). A moderate climate with 4 months of each works out to about 3,960 kWh and $715 a year. Longer heating seasons push past $800.

Compare that to a central air conditioner that only cools: you pay similar summer rates, but the heat pump replaces a separate heating system entirely. The electric bill goes up in winter, but the gas bill (if you had one) disappears.

This is where the heat pump earns its keep. A heat pump moves heat instead of creating it, delivering 2 to 3 kWh of heating for every 1 kWh of electricity. That multiplier is called COP (coefficient of performance). An electric furnace creates heat directly from resistance coils at a 1-to-1 ratio: every kWh of electricity produces exactly 1 kWh of heat.

For the same heating output a 3-ton heat pump delivers at $89 a month (at a COP of 2.5), an electric furnace would cost about $223 a month. That's $134 a month in savings during heating season, or roughly $800 a year in a climate with 6 months of heating.

A gas furnace draws only its 600W blower motor on the electric bill: about $19 a month in winter. But it burns natural gas on top of that. Combined heating cost runs roughly comparable to a heat pump in moderate climates. In deep cold below 10°F, the gas furnace pulls ahead because heat pump efficiency drops sharply.

A 3-ton heat pump running 12 hours a day in winter uses 495 kWh a month. The cost depends entirely on where you live:

Louisiana (12.44¢/kWh): $61.58. Texas (14.80¢/kWh): $73.26. US average (18.05¢/kWh): $89.35. New York (24.40¢/kWh): $120.78. California (31.01¢/kWh): $153.50. Hawaii (39.79¢/kWh): $196.96.

Hawaii is 3.2 times the cost of Louisiana for the same system at the same usage. The state rates guide has the full 2026 breakdown. In California, a 4-ton system in winter crosses $200 a month easily. That's where the winter bill shock stories start.

1. Aux strip heat is the bill killer.When outdoor temperatures drop below roughly 30°F, heat pump efficiency falls. Below about 10°F, many systems activate electric resistance backup strips rated at 10 to 20 kW. Those strips run at COP 1.0 instead of 2.5, and a few days of heavy aux heat can double or triple a monthly bill. If your January bill spikes to $200 or $300, check whether the thermostat triggered aux or emergency heat mode. That single setting explains most winter bill shock.

2. System sizing matters both ways. An oversized system short-cycles (high wear, poor dehumidification). An undersized system runs near 100 percent duty cycle and leans on aux heat. A properly sized system matched to a Manual J load calculation keeps the compressor at moderate duty and COP high. The $61 monthly gap between a 2-ton at $64 and a 4-ton at $125 in winter is real, but so is the comfort gap if the house actually needs 4 tons.

3. Insulation is the invisible lever.A heat pump heats and cools the building envelope, not the house. Air sealing and attic insulation can effectively shrink the required system size by 20 to 30 percent, which drops monthly costs by the same proportion. That's $18 to $27 off the winter bill for a 3-ton system, every month, without touching the equipment.

The heat pump calculator runs the same formula at your state's rate and your system's wattage. The appliance wattage chart shows where a heat pump ranks against every other household device.