How Much to Run a Mini Split in South Dakota? $735/Winter
Running ductless mini-split in South Dakota costs about $0.27 an hour and roughly $735 for the winter — 2,000 W for 14.9 hours a day at 13.59¢/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 South Dakota rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.27 at 13.59¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $735 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 14.9 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 5,532 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 2,000 W (typical 400–3,500)
- South Dakota rate
- 13.59¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 13 (13th most expensive)
Why this number
South Dakota runs ductless mini-split longer than the national baseline in October–March — 14.9 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 9.4 nationally — and pays 13.59¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 2,000 W, are the whole $735.
Ductless mini-split cost in South Dakota by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | South Dakota avg 13.59¢ | Northern States Power 13.9¢ | Adjustment 2024 12.4¢ | Black Hills Power, Inc 14.4¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.27 / $49 | $0.28 / $51 | $0.25 / $45 | $0.29 / $52 |
| 2 h | $0.54 / $99 | $0.56 / $101 | $0.50 / $90 | $0.58 / $105 |
| 4 h | $1.09 / $198 | $1.11 / $202 | $0.99 / $181 | $1.15 / $210 |
| 6 h | $1.63 / $297 | $1.67 / $304 | $1.49 / $271 | $1.73 / $314 |
| 8 h | $2.17 / $396 | $2.22 / $405 | $1.98 / $361 | $2.30 / $419 |
| 12 h | $3.26 / $594 | $3.34 / $607 | $2.98 / $542 | $3.46 / $629 |
What South Dakota’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 14.9 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 92,204 | 13.9¢ | $0.28 | $752 |
| Adjustment 2024 | 85,708 | 12.4¢ | $0.25 | $671 |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | 60,951 | 14.4¢ | $0.29 | $779 |
What the numbers say about ductless mini-split in South Dakota
South Dakota logged 5,532 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 158% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs ductless mini-split 14.9 hours a day against the national 9.4 — 5.5 hours more. At South Dakota’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 13.59¢/kWh that makes it the 13th most expensive of the 20 cold states for ductless mini-split: $735 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $552 and Maine’s $1,886. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, South Dakota’s largest utility with 92,204 residential customers, averages 13.9¢ — $752 for the same hours — while Black Hills Power, Inc. at 14.4¢ comes to $779, a $27 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $18.35 against $10.32 for natural gas at South Dakota’s winter average of $0.98/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the South Dakota heating page works through. South Dakota’s winter-average rate (13.59¢) sits 1.78¢ below its July 2026 reading of 15.37¢; 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 South Dakota?
$0.27 an hour for a 2,000 W unit at South Dakota’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 13.59¢/kWh (2,000 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1359); at Northern States Power Co - Minnesota’s 13.9¢ it is $0.28.
How much does ductless mini-split cost for the whole winter in South Dakota?
About $735: 2,000 W × 14.9 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 13.59¢. The hours are the national 9.4 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (5,532 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is ductless mini-split expensive to run in South Dakota compared with other cold states?
South Dakota is the 13th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $735 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 South Dakota: 2,000 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1359 $/kWh = $0.27 per hour; hours per day = 9.4 × (5,532 ÷ 3,500) = 14.9; 2,000 ÷ 1,000 × 14.9 × 182 × 0.1359 = $735 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 South Dakota, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in South Dakota — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at South Dakota’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — South Dakota averages 13.59¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in South Dakota — South Dakota’s 15.37¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in South Dakota — Same South Dakota rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run heat pump in South Dakota — Same South Dakota rates and degree-days applied to a 3,500 W heat pump.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Colorado — $734 for the winter at 16.45¢ and 12.3 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Montana — $719 for the winter at 13.26¢ and 14.9 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.