How Much Electricity Does a Heat Pump Use & What's the Energy Cost?
Heat pumps are highly energy-efficient cooling and heating systems. That's because, unlike furnaces, they don't actually create heat in order to warm your home--they transfer it. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and work by moving heat from outside your home to inside your home or vice versa. The two most common types of heat pumps are geothermal and air source heat pumps which work by transferring heat from the ground and the air respectively.
Heat pumps are the most energy-efficient way to heat your home. But that being said, they still require electricity to run, which means that you probably have opportunities for savings. Our heat pump cost calculator below can help you get a sense of how much energy your heat pump uses and how much it costs to run your heat pump. Check it out!
Heat pump energy cost calculator
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Kilowatts measure the rate at which electricity moves through an appliance. More kilowatts mean more electricity, and bigger heat pumps will typically use more watts.
The average heat pump runs at around 15,000 watts. Of course this number can vary depending on the type of heat pump. For example,
To get the most accurate number, look at the back of your heat pump. You can calculate kilowatts by multiplying amps and volts and dividing by 1000.
Kilowatts = (Amps x Volts) / 1000
According to US Energy Information Administration, the average cost of electricity in the U.S. is 16 ¢/kWh. However, this number can vary depending on your electricity supplier. Today, people in some states have the power to shop for their electricity and find cheaper rates.
What is the cost and energy consumption of different heat pumps?
Watts | Cost / hr* | Avg cost / month* |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 W | $0.320 | $48.00 |
| 3000 W | $0.480 | $72.00 |
| 4000 W | $0.640 | $96.00 |
| 5000 W | $0.800 | $120.00 |
How to save on your heating costs?
1.
Insulate your home
Insulating your home can help you save money for a lot of reasons--both summer and winter. This guide from Energy.gov can help you think about the best ways to go about insulating your home. Although there is a bit of an upfront cost, you'll end up saving money in the long run.2.
Wear a jacket or a cozy sweater
Jackets are the old-fashioned solution to getting warm for a reason: they're simple and easy to accomplish, and they work.3.
Get a heated blanket
We recommend getting a heated blanket no matter what because, well, they're just so cozy. But they also use less electricity than heat pumps.4.
Use a space heater
Although not as efficient as heat pumps, space heaters can be useful for targeted heating efforts. If you're cold and you're going to be spending time in only one room, then a space heater may be able to help you save money since you can direct your heating efforts and energy costs to that one specific room.5.
Choose Perch Energy
At Perch, we're on a mission to make cleaner energy more accessible, more affordable, and more equitable for all. Whether you rent an apartment, own a home, or run a business, Perch offers multiple ways to save money on your electricity bills, or even help the planet, too.- For guaranteed savings on your annual electricity cost, join a community solar project in your area. Perch will help match you to a local solar farm—you'll support the operations of that farm so that it can generate and contribute as much clean, solar energy to the overall grid. You don't directly receive electricity from the solar power you're supporting, but thanks to government incentives, you'll get credits toward your own utility bill. Essentially, you're being rewarded with discounts on your own electricity because you're enabling solar generation and development in your state.
- With Perch, you can take your fossil-fuel-fighting, money-saving ways even further when you also switch your home or business' electricity plan to cleaner energy. If you're on your utility's default basic service rate, it's a "mixed" energy plan (generated partly by fossil fuels, partly by renewable resources). But Perch can switch you to a low-cost cleaner energy plan—outside of what your utility is offering—that's backed 100% by clean, renewable resources like solar and wind. We'll find you a price that's lower than the market rate for similar options in your area. You don't have to do anything differently, but you'll feel great knowing that your personal electricity usage is now contributing to a healthier planet, and you've reduced your everyday carbon footprint.