How Much to Run Central AC in New Hampshire? $113/Summer
Running central air conditioner in New Hampshire costs about $0.93 an hour and roughly $113 for the summer — 3,500 W for 1.3 hours a day at 26.6¢/kWh.
· Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23
On this page: CalculatorTableHow we calculatedSources
Jump to calculator ↓Slider nudges the New Hampshire rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.93 at 26.6¢/kWh
- Per summer
- $113 (92 days)
- Hours per day
- 1.3 (NOAA state cooling degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 334 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 2,000–5,000)
- New Hampshire rate
- 26.6¢ (July 2026)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 12 (12th most expensive)
Why this number
New Hampshire runs central air conditioner less than the national baseline in June–August — 1.3 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 3.8 nationally — and pays 26.6¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $113.
Central air conditioner cost in New Hampshire by hours per day — per day / per summer
| Hours per day | New Hampshire avg 26.6¢ | Public Service Co of N 18.7¢ | Community Power Coalit 8.7¢ | New Hampshire Elec Coo 23.6¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.93 / $86 | $0.65 / $60 | $0.30 / $28 | $0.83 / $76 |
| 2 h | $1.86 / $171 | $1.31 / $120 | $0.61 / $56 | $1.65 / $152 |
| 4 h | $3.72 / $343 | $2.62 / $241 | $1.22 / $112 | $3.30 / $304 |
| 6 h | $5.59 / $514 | $3.93 / $361 | $1.83 / $168 | $4.96 / $456 |
| 8 h | $7.45 / $685 | $5.24 / $482 | $2.44 / $224 | $6.61 / $608 |
| 12 h | $11.17 / $1,028 | $7.85 / $723 | $3.65 / $336 | $9.91 / $912 |
What New Hampshire’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per summer at 1.3 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of NH | 459,907 | 18.7¢ | $0.65 | $80 |
| Community Power Coalition of NH | 104,562 | 8.7¢ | $0.30 | $37 |
| New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc | 74,144 | 23.6¢ | $0.83 | $101 |
What the numbers say about central air conditioner in New Hampshire
New Hampshire logged 334 population-weighted cooling degree-days over June–August (NOAA CPC state series), 35% of the CONUS figure of 958, which is why this page runs central air conditioner 1.3 hours a day against the national 3.8 — 2.5 hours less. At New Hampshire’s July 2026 rate of 26.6¢/kWh that makes it the 12th most expensive of the 20 cold states for central air conditioner: $113 for the 92-day summer, against Montana’s $47 and Alaska’s $228. Public Service Co of NH, New Hampshire’s largest utility with 459,907 residential customers, averages 18.7¢ — $80 for the same hours — while New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc at 23.6¢ comes to $101, a $21 spread on identical use. New Hampshire’s July 2026 rate of 26.6¢ sets the $0.93 per hour; its winter average of 26.78¢ is 0.18¢ higher, 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 New Hampshire?
$0.93 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at New Hampshire’s July 2026 average of 26.6¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.2660); at Public Service Co of NH’s 18.7¢ it is $0.65.
How much does central air conditioner cost for the whole summer in New Hampshire?
About $113: 3,500 W × 1.3 hours a day × 92 days (June–August) × 26.6¢. The hours are the national 3.8 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted CDD, June–August 2026 (334 against the CONUS 958); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is central air conditioner expensive to run in New Hampshire compared with other cold states?
New Hampshire is the 12th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $113 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 New Hampshire: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.2660 $/kWh = $0.93 per hour; hours per day = 3.8 × (334 ÷ 958) = 1.3; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 1.3 × 92 × 0.2660 = $113 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.
Where to go next
- Cost to run central air conditioner (national page) — The 3,500 W and 3.8 h/day baseline this page scales for New Hampshire, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in New Hampshire — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at New Hampshire’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — New Hampshire averages 26.6¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in New Hampshire — New Hampshire’s 26.6¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in New Hampshire — Same New Hampshire rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run heat pump in New Hampshire — Same New Hampshire rates and degree-days applied to a 3,500 W heat pump.
- Cost to run central air conditioner in Colorado — $114 for the summer at 17.0¢ and 2.1 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run central air conditioner in Utah — $112 for the summer at 13.12¢ and 2.6 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.