How Much to Run a Mini Split in Wisconsin? $1,106/Winter
Running ductless mini-split in Wisconsin costs about $0.37 an hour and roughly $1,106 for the winter — 2,000 W for 16.5 hours a day at 18.39¢/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 Wisconsin rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.37 at 18.39¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $1,106 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 16.5 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 6,152 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 2,000 W (typical 400–3,500)
- Wisconsin rate
- 18.39¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 8 (8th most expensive)
Why this number
Wisconsin runs ductless mini-split longer than the national baseline in October–March — 16.5 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 9.4 nationally — and pays 18.39¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 2,000 W, are the whole $1,106.
Ductless mini-split cost in Wisconsin by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Wisconsin avg 18.39¢ | Wisconsin Electric Pow 19.2¢ | Wisconsin Power & Ligh 16.9¢ | Wisconsin Public Servi 16.2¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.37 / $67 | $0.38 / $70 | $0.34 / $62 | $0.32 / $59 |
| 2 h | $0.74 / $134 | $0.77 / $140 | $0.68 / $123 | $0.65 / $118 |
| 4 h | $1.47 / $268 | $1.54 / $280 | $1.35 / $246 | $1.30 / $236 |
| 6 h | $2.21 / $402 | $2.30 / $419 | $2.03 / $369 | $1.94 / $354 |
| 8 h | $2.94 / $536 | $3.07 / $559 | $2.70 / $492 | $2.59 / $472 |
| 12 h | $4.41 / $803 | $4.61 / $839 | $4.06 / $738 | $3.89 / $708 |
What Wisconsin’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 16.5 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Electric Power Co | 1,048,148 | 19.2¢ | $0.38 | $1,155 |
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | 437,211 | 16.9¢ | $0.34 | $1,016 |
| Wisconsin Public Service Corp | 411,775 | 16.2¢ | $0.32 | $974 |
What the numbers say about ductless mini-split in Wisconsin
Wisconsin logged 6,152 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 176% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs ductless mini-split 16.5 hours a day against the national 9.4 — 7.1 hours more. At Wisconsin’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 18.39¢/kWh that makes it the 8th most expensive of the 20 cold states for ductless mini-split: $1,106 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $552 and Maine’s $1,886. Wisconsin Electric Power Co, Wisconsin’s largest utility with 1,048,148 residential customers, averages 19.2¢ — $1,155 for the same hours — while Wisconsin Public Service Corp at 16.2¢ comes to $974, a $180 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $24.84 against $11.47 for natural gas at Wisconsin’s winter average of $1.09/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the Wisconsin heating page works through. Wisconsin’s winter-average rate (18.39¢) sits 0.67¢ below its July 2026 reading of 19.06¢; 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 Wisconsin?
$0.37 an hour for a 2,000 W unit at Wisconsin’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 18.39¢/kWh (2,000 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1839); at Wisconsin Electric Power Co’s 19.2¢ it is $0.38.
How much does ductless mini-split cost for the whole winter in Wisconsin?
About $1,106: 2,000 W × 16.5 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 18.39¢. The hours are the national 9.4 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (6,152 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is ductless mini-split expensive to run in Wisconsin compared with other cold states?
Wisconsin is the 8th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $1,106 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 Wisconsin: 2,000 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1839 $/kWh = $0.37 per hour; hours per day = 9.4 × (6,152 ÷ 3,500) = 16.5; 2,000 ÷ 1,000 × 16.5 × 182 × 0.1839 = $1,106 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 Wisconsin, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Wisconsin — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Wisconsin’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Wisconsin averages 18.39¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Wisconsin — Wisconsin’s 19.06¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in Wisconsin — Same Wisconsin rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run heat pump in Wisconsin — Same Wisconsin rates and degree-days applied to a 3,500 W heat pump.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Michigan — $1,138 for the winter at 20.11¢ and 15.6 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Minnesota — $1,036 for the winter at 15.41¢ and 18.5 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.