Cost to run a heat pump for heating
What a heat pump costs
At 17 cents a kilowatt hour, a heat pump costs 34 cents an hour while it is drawing power. 6 hours a day with 50 percent average draw is 6.00 kWh a day, $30.60 a month and $372.30 a year. Change any of those three numbers in the calculator and the answer moves with them, because there is nothing else in the sum.
The label figure is 2000 watts. That is what the device draws while it is working, not what it draws around the clock.
| Hours of use a day | Energy a day | Cost a month | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 1.00 kWh | $5.10 | $62.05 |
| 2 h | 2.00 kWh | $10.20 | $124.10 |
| 4 h | 4.00 kWh | $20.40 | $248.20 |
| 6 h | 6.00 kWh | $30.60 | $372.30 |
| 8 h | 8.00 kWh | $40.80 | $496.40 |
What changes the number
- A heat pump moves heat rather than making it. Two kilowatts of electricity typically delivers five to seven kilowatts of heat, which is why the same warmth costs a third of a resistive heater.
- That advantage shrinks in hard frost. Below about minus five Celsius most units fall back to resistive backup elements, and the draw jumps toward the resistance number.
- Defrost cycles run the unit in reverse for a few minutes. They are normal, they add a few percent, and they are not a fault.
Find your own wattage
On the outdoor unit rating plate. Look for the rated load amps rather than the maximum, because the maximum is a breaker size, not a running figure.
What this does not include
It does not model the weather. A mild month and a cold snap differ by a factor of two on the same equipment.
Check it against your own numbers
The [running cost calculator](../index.html?device=heat-pump) opens with this device already selected and its wattage filled in. Replace the wattage with your own reading, set the hours you actually use, and the monthly and yearly figures update in place.
Related: [A 1,500 W space heater](../space-heater/index.html), [An electric blanket](../electric-blanket/index.html), [A dehumidifier](../dehumidifier/index.html).