How Much to Run a Mini Split in Massachusetts? $1,646/Winter
Running ductless mini-split in Massachusetts costs about $0.62 an hour and roughly $1,646 for the winter — 2,000 W for 14.6 hours a day at 30.88¢/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 Massachusetts rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.62 at 30.88¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $1,646 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 14.6 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 5,451 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 2,000 W (typical 400–3,500)
- Massachusetts rate
- 30.88¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 3 (3rd most expensive)
Why this number
Massachusetts runs ductless mini-split longer than the national baseline in October–March — 14.6 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 9.4 nationally — and pays 30.88¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 2,000 W, are the whole $1,646.
Ductless mini-split cost in Massachusetts by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Massachusetts avg 30.88¢ | NSTAR Electric Company 19.9¢ | Massachusetts Electric 23.1¢ | Direct Energy Services 15.1¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.62 / $112 | $0.40 / $72 | $0.46 / $84 | $0.30 / $55 |
| 2 h | $1.24 / $225 | $0.80 / $145 | $0.92 / $168 | $0.60 / $110 |
| 4 h | $2.47 / $450 | $1.59 / $290 | $1.85 / $336 | $1.21 / $220 |
| 6 h | $3.71 / $674 | $2.39 / $435 | $2.77 / $505 | $1.81 / $330 |
| 8 h | $4.94 / $899 | $3.18 / $579 | $3.70 / $673 | $2.42 / $440 |
| 12 h | $7.41 / $1,349 | $4.78 / $869 | $5.54 / $1,009 | $3.62 / $660 |
What Massachusetts’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 14.6 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSTAR Electric Company | 1,303,076 | 19.9¢ | $0.40 | $1,060 |
| Massachusetts Electric Co | 1,210,113 | 23.1¢ | $0.46 | $1,231 |
| Direct Energy Services | 498,718 | 15.1¢ | $0.30 | $805 |
What the numbers say about ductless mini-split in Massachusetts
Massachusetts logged 5,451 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 156% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs ductless mini-split 14.6 hours a day against the national 9.4 — 5.2 hours more. At Massachusetts’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 30.88¢/kWh that makes it the 3rd most expensive of the 20 cold states for ductless mini-split: $1,646 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $552 and Maine’s $1,886. NSTAR Electric Company, Massachusetts’s largest utility with 1,303,076 residential customers, averages 19.9¢ — $1,060 for the same hours — while Direct Energy Services at 15.1¢ comes to $805, a $256 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $41.71 against $25.37 for natural gas at Massachusetts’s winter average of $2.41/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the Massachusetts heating page works through. Massachusetts’s winter-average rate (30.88¢) sits 0.39¢ above its July 2026 reading of 30.49¢; the season figure uses the winter average because that is when ductless mini-split runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run ductless mini-split per hour in Massachusetts?
$0.62 an hour for a 2,000 W unit at Massachusetts’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 30.88¢/kWh (2,000 ÷ 1,000 × 0.3088); at NSTAR Electric Company’s 19.9¢ it is $0.40.
How much does ductless mini-split cost for the whole winter in Massachusetts?
About $1,646: 2,000 W × 14.6 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 30.88¢. The hours are the national 9.4 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (5,451 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is ductless mini-split expensive to run in Massachusetts compared with other cold states?
Massachusetts is the 3rd most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $1,646 a winter; the range runs from Nebraska ($552) to Maine ($1,886), driven almost entirely by the electricity rate.
How we calculated this
Worked for ductless mini-split in Massachusetts: 2,000 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.3088 $/kWh = $0.62 per hour; hours per day = 9.4 × (5,451 ÷ 3,500) = 14.6; 2,000 ÷ 1,000 × 14.6 × 182 × 0.3088 = $1,646 for the winter. Rate: EIA Electric Power Monthly 5.6.A (October 2025–March 2026 average); degree-days: NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 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 ductless mini-split (national page) — The 2,000 W and 9.4 h/day baseline this page scales for Massachusetts, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Massachusetts — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Massachusetts’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Massachusetts averages 30.88¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Massachusetts — Massachusetts’s 30.49¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in Massachusetts — Same Massachusetts rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run heat pump in Massachusetts — Same Massachusetts rates and degree-days applied to a 3,500 W heat pump.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in New Hampshire — $1,646 for the winter at 26.78¢ and 16.9 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Vermont — $1,557 for the winter at 23.81¢ and 18.0 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.