How Much Does It Cost to Run a Mini-Split Heat Pump per Day?

Source: Planning watts of 800 and 8 hours a day, hours of running time a day for heating or cooling. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 22% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. Because it runs only about 8 months a year, the yearly cost is 8 times the monthly figure, not twelve.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $13 a month and the highest $105. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same mini-split heat pump costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 195 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

A ductless mini-split is a heat pump with an outdoor unit and one or more indoor heads. Most use an inverter compressor that runs at a variable speed, so the draw rises and falls with the load instead of switching between off and full power.

Capacity, the number of zones and the weather decide the cost. A single-zone unit for a bedroom draws a few hundred watts at a steady speed, and a multi-zone system in a heat wave or a cold snap draws much more. The same equipment heats and cools.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 300 to 2,000 watts. At 8 hours a day that is $13 to $84 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Set a steady temperature and use a schedule instead of large swings.
• Clean the indoor filters on the maker’s schedule and keep the outdoor unit clear.
• Size the unit to the room, since an oversized one cycles more and an undersized one runs flat out.

Next step: Heat pump costs. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the cooling group: Air Conditioner, Window Air Conditioner, Central Air Conditioner, Portable Air Conditioner, Ceiling Fan, Whole-House Fan.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 800 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 8 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.