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How Much to Run Central AC in Minnesota? $0.61/Hr, $103/Summer

Running central air conditioner in Minnesota costs about $0.61 an hour and roughly $103 for the summer — 3,500 W for 1.8 hours a day at 17.45¢/kWh.

$0.61per hour
$103per summer, 92 days
460cooling degree-days, NOAA

· Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23

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Central air conditioner in Minnesota: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × days × rate. Estimate, not a quote.
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Per hour
$0.61 at 17.45¢/kWh
Per summer
$103 (92 days)
Hours per day
1.8 (NOAA state cooling degree-days-scaled)
Degree-days used
460 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
Wattage
3,500 W (typical 2,000–5,000)
Minnesota rate
17.45¢ (July 2026)
Rank of 20 cold states
15 (15th most expensive)

Why this number

Running central air conditioner in Minnesota costs about $0.61 an hour and roughly $103 for the summer — a 3,500 W unit for 1.8 hours a day over 92 days (June–August) at Minnesota’s July 2026 average of 17.45¢/kWh. The hours are the national 3.8 h/day baseline scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026 (460 vs the CONUS 958); your utility’s rate moves it (table below), and the calculator takes your own wattage, hours and rate.

Minnesota runs central air conditioner less than the national baseline in June–August — 1.8 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 3.8 nationally — and pays 17.45¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $103.

Central air conditioner cost in Minnesota by hours per day — per day / per summer

Central air conditioner cost per day and per summer in Minnesota at 1 to 12 hours a day, at the state average rate and its largest utilities' EIA-861 prices
Hours per day Minnesota avg 17.45¢ Northern States Power 17.0¢ Adjustment 2024 14.1¢ Connexus Energy 13.7¢
1 h $0.61 / $56 $0.59 / $55 $0.49 / $45 $0.48 / $44
2 h $1.22 / $112 $1.19 / $109 $0.99 / $91 $0.96 / $88
4 h $2.44 / $225 $2.38 / $219 $1.97 / $182 $1.92 / $176
6 h $3.66 / $337 $3.57 / $328 $2.96 / $272 $2.88 / $265
8 h $4.89 / $450 $4.76 / $438 $3.95 / $363 $3.84 / $353
12 h $7.33 / $674 $7.14 / $657 $5.92 / $545 $5.75 / $529

What Minnesota’s utilities charge for it

Minnesota's largest electric utilities and what central air conditioner costs per hour and per summer at each one's average price
Utility Residential customers ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) Per hour Per summer at 1.8 h/day
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota 1,230,057 17.0¢ $0.59 $100
Adjustment 2024 251,565 14.1¢ $0.49 $83
Connexus Energy 134,095 13.7¢ $0.48 $80

What the numbers say about central air conditioner in Minnesota

Minnesota logged 460 population-weighted cooling degree-days over June–August (NOAA CPC state series), 48% of the CONUS figure of 958, which is why this page runs central air conditioner 1.8 hours a day against the national 3.8 — 2.0 hours less. At Minnesota’s July 2026 rate of 17.45¢/kWh that makes it the 15th most expensive of the 20 cold states for central air conditioner: $103 for the 92-day summer, against Montana’s $47 and Alaska’s $228. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Minnesota’s largest utility with 1,230,057 residential customers, averages 17.0¢ — $100 for the same hours — while Connexus Energy at 13.7¢ comes to $80, a $19 spread on identical use. Minnesota’s July 2026 rate of 17.45¢ sets the $0.61 per hour; its winter average of 15.41¢ is 2.04¢ lower, a difference that matters for heating loads but not for central air conditioner use in June–August.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run central air conditioner per hour in Minnesota?

$0.61 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at Minnesota’s July 2026 average of 17.45¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1745); at Northern States Power Co - Minnesota’s 17.0¢ it is $0.59.

How much does central air conditioner cost for the whole summer in Minnesota?

About $103: 3,500 W × 1.8 hours a day × 92 days (June–August) × 17.45¢. The hours are the national 3.8 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026 (460 against the CONUS 958); enter your own hours above for your own figure.

Is central air conditioner expensive to run in Minnesota compared with other cold states?

Minnesota is the 15th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $103 a summer; the range runs from Montana ($47) to Alaska ($228), driven almost entirely by the electricity rate.

How we calculated this

Worked for central air conditioner in Minnesota: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1745 $/kWh = $0.61 per hour; hours per day = 3.8 × (460 ÷ 958) = 1.8; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 1.8 × 92 × 0.1745 = $103 for the summer. Rate: EIA Electric Power Monthly 5.6.A (July 2026); degree-days: NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026, against the CONUS total; utility prices: EIA-861 2024.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.

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