How Much Does It Cost to Run a Heat Pump? Cost per Hour and Month
A heat pump’s running cost comes down to how much heat you ask for and how efficiently it delivers it. The efficiency is printed on the unit as HSPF2 and SEER2, and with your electricity rate that is enough to do the math.
Quick answer
At the national average electricity rate, an ENERGY STAR heat pump delivering 36,000 Btu of heat an hour uses about 4,600 watts, roughly 85 cents an hour. Cooling is cheaper: about 43 cents an hour for the same output. Per million Btu of heat it costs about $23, against about $54 for electric resistance heat, which is why backup heat running for long stretches raises the bill.
- Difficulty
- Easy DIY
- Heating, 36,000 Btu an hour
- About 4,600 W, 85¢ an hour (HSPF2 7.8)
- Cooling, 36,000 Btu an hour
- About 2,400 W, 43¢ an hour (SEER2 15.2)
- Per million Btu of heat
- About $23, against $54 for resistance heat
- Rate used
- 18.31¢ per kWh, U.S. average, July 2026 (EIA)
On this page
A heat pump moves heat instead of making it, so each kilowatt-hour it uses delivers more than a kilowatt-hour’s worth of heat. How much more is printed on the unit: HSPF2 for heating and SEER2 for cooling. ENERGY STAR defines both as Btu delivered over the season divided by watt-hours used. That makes the math simple: Btu ÷ rating = watt-hours.
What it costs, by output
ENERGY STAR minimums for split-system heat pumps (7.8 HSPF2, 15.2 SEER2) and its cold-climate minimum for non-ducted splits (8.5 HSPF2), at the U.S. average residential rate of 18.31 cents per kWh (EIA, July 2026). “Month” is 30 days of 8 hours a day at full output.
| Output | Heating, HSPF2 7.8 | Heating, HSPF2 8.5 | Cooling, SEER2 15.2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24,000 Btu an hour | 3,077 W: 56¢ an hour, $135 a month | 2,824 W: 52¢ an hour, $124 a month | 1,579 W: 29¢ an hour, $69 a month |
| 36,000 Btu an hour | 4,615 W: 85¢ an hour, $203 a month | 4,235 W: 78¢ an hour, $186 a month | 2,368 W: 43¢ an hour, $104 a month |
| 48,000 Btu an hour | 6,154 W: $1.13 an hour, $270 a month | 5,647 W: $1.03 an hour, $248 a month | 3,158 W: 58¢ an hour, $139 a month |
Read it as the cost of delivering that much heat or cooling for an hour, not the cost of owning a heat pump of that size: a heat pump that runs half the time costs about half as much.
Heat pump or resistance heat
| Heat source | Electricity for 1 million Btu of heat | Cost at 18.31¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump, HSPF2 7.8 | 128 kWh | $23.47 |
| Heat pump, HSPF2 8.5 | 118 kWh | $21.54 |
| Electric resistance (backup strips, baseboard, space heater) | 293 kWh | $53.66 |
The resistance row uses the EIA conversion of 3,412 Btu per kWh and the Department of Energy’s point that resistance heating turns all the incoming electricity into heat. That gap is why backup heat matters: a heat pump on AUX or EM heat for hours at a time costs more than twice as much per unit of heat. If your thermostat shows it often, see a heat pump freezing up, and for a space heater’s own numbers, what a space heater costs to run.
Work out your own cost
- Find the ratings.Safe check
The HSPF2 and SEER2 are on the outdoor unit’s nameplate or the product sheet for your model. Older units list HSPF and SEER instead, from an earlier test method, so their numbers are not directly comparable.
- Divide the Btu by the rating.Safe check
Heat delivered in Btu ÷ HSPF2 = watt-hours used. Divide by 1,000 for kWh, then multiply by your price per kWh from your bill.
- Check against your bill.Safe check
Compare winter and summer kWh with the same months last year. A sudden jump is a better clue than any estimate: see [why an electric bill is suddenly high](/electrical-energy/electric-bill-suddenly-high/).
- Leave the equipment to a technician.Technician
Refrigerant charge, defrost controls and backup heat strips are jobs for a licensed HVAC technician.
HSPF2 is a seasonal average measured for one climate region, so real efficiency is lower in very cold weather and higher in mild weather. For any appliance, the appliance energy cost calculator turns watts and hours into a monthly cost. If the air from the vents feels cool, that is usually normal for a heat pump: see a heat pump blowing cold air.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a heat pump per month?
It depends on how many hours it runs at full output. At the U.S. average rate of 18.31 cents per kWh, an ENERGY STAR heat pump delivering 36,000 Btu an hour costs about 85 cents an hour for heating, or about $203 for a month of 8 full-output hours a day. Most systems run part of the time, so your own bill and kWh history are the better guide.
What do HSPF2 and SEER2 mean?
ENERGY STAR defines HSPF2 as the heat a heat pump delivers over a heating season in Btu divided by the electricity it uses in watt-hours, and SEER2 as the same ratio for cooling. Higher is cheaper to run. ENERGY STAR split-system heat pumps need at least 7.8 HSPF2 and 15.2 SEER2.
Is a heat pump cheaper than electric heat?
Yes, for the same heat. The Department of Energy says electric resistance heating turns all the incoming electricity into heat, which is 3,412 Btu per kWh. A heat pump with an HSPF2 of 7.8 delivers 7.8 Btu per watt-hour, about 2.3 times as much heat per kWh over the season.
Why is my heat pump bill so high in winter?
Cold weather means more hours of heating, and backup heat costs more. If the thermostat shows AUX or EM heat for long stretches, electric resistance strips are doing the work, at about $54 per million Btu instead of about $23. See our guide to a heat pump freezing up.
Sources
- Heat Pump Equipment Key Product Criteria ENERGY STAR
- Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers U.S. Energy Information Administration
- British thermal units (Btu) U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Electric Resistance Heating (archived copy, 2023) U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver
First published October 28, 2026. Last reviewed October 28, 2026. Spot an error? Tell us and we will check it against the source.