How Much to Run a Heat Pump in Colorado? $0.58/Hr, $802/Winter
Running heat pump in Colorado costs about $0.58 an hour and roughly $802 for the winter — 3,500 W for 7.7 hours a day at 16.45¢/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 Colorado rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.58 at 16.45¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $802 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 7.7 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 4,564 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 1,200–8,000)
- Colorado rate
- 16.45¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 14 (14th most expensive)
Why this number
Colorado runs heat pump longer than the national baseline in October–March — 7.7 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 5.87 nationally — and pays 16.45¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $802.
Heat pump cost in Colorado by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Colorado avg 16.45¢ | Public Service Co of C 15.0¢ | City of Colorado Sprin 14.5¢ | CORE Electric Cooperat 15.0¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.58 / $105 | $0.53 / $96 | $0.51 / $92 | $0.53 / $96 |
| 2 h | $1.15 / $210 | $1.05 / $191 | $1.01 / $185 | $1.05 / $191 |
| 4 h | $2.30 / $419 | $2.10 / $382 | $2.03 / $369 | $2.10 / $382 |
| 6 h | $3.45 / $629 | $3.15 / $573 | $3.04 / $554 | $3.15 / $573 |
| 8 h | $4.61 / $838 | $4.20 / $764 | $4.06 / $739 | $4.20 / $764 |
| 12 h | $6.91 / $1,257 | $6.30 / $1,147 | $6.09 / $1,108 | $6.30 / $1,147 |
What Colorado’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 7.7 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | 1,365,053 | 15.0¢ | $0.53 | $731 |
| City of Colorado Springs - (CO) | 216,771 | 14.5¢ | $0.51 | $707 |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | 165,067 | 15.0¢ | $0.53 | $731 |
What the numbers say about heat pump in Colorado
Colorado logged 4,564 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 130% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs heat pump 7.7 hours a day against the national 5.87 — 1.8 hours more. At Colorado’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 16.45¢/kWh that makes it the 14th most expensive of the 20 cold states for heat pump: $802 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $603 and Maine’s $2,061. Public Service Co of Colorado, Colorado’s largest utility with 1,365,053 residential customers, averages 15.0¢ — $731 for the same hours — while CORE Electric Cooperative at 15.0¢ comes to $731, a $0 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $22.22 against $11.26 for natural gas at Colorado’s winter average of $1.07/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the Colorado heating page works through. Colorado’s winter-average rate (16.45¢) sits 0.55¢ below its July 2026 reading of 17.0¢; the season figure uses the winter average because that is when heat pump runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run heat pump per hour in Colorado?
$0.58 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at Colorado’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 16.45¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1645); at Public Service Co of Colorado’s 15.0¢ it is $0.53.
How much does heat pump cost for the whole winter in Colorado?
About $802: 3,500 W × 7.7 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 16.45¢. The hours are the national 5.87 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (4,564 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is heat pump expensive to run in Colorado compared with other cold states?
Colorado is the 14th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $802 a winter; the range runs from Nebraska ($603) to Maine ($2,061), driven almost entirely by the electricity rate.
How we calculated this
Worked for heat pump in Colorado: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1645 $/kWh = $0.58 per hour; hours per day = 5.87 × (4,564 ÷ 3,500) = 7.7; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 7.7 × 182 × 0.1645 = $802 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 heat pump (national page) — The 3,500 W and 5.87 h/day baseline this page scales for Colorado, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Colorado — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Colorado’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Colorado averages 16.45¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Colorado — Colorado’s 17.0¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in Colorado — Same Colorado rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Colorado — Same Colorado rates and degree-days applied to a 2,000 W ductless mini-split.
- Cost to run heat pump in South Dakota — $803 for the winter at 13.59¢ and 9.3 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run heat pump in Montana — $786 for the winter at 13.26¢ and 9.3 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.