How Much to Run a Heat Pump in Iowa? $0.46/Hr, $768/Winter
Running heat pump in Iowa costs about $0.46 an hour and roughly $768 for the winter — 3,500 W for 9.2 hours a day at 13.1¢/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 Iowa rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.46 at 13.1¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $768 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 9.2 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 5,491 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 1,200–8,000)
- Iowa rate
- 13.1¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 16 (16th most expensive)
Why this number
Iowa runs heat pump longer than the national baseline in October–March — 9.2 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 5.87 nationally — and pays 13.1¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $768.
Heat pump cost in Iowa by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Iowa avg 13.1¢ | MidAmerican Energy Co 11.0¢ | Interstate Power and L 17.9¢ | Adjustment 2024 13.0¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.46 / $83 | $0.39 / $70 | $0.63 / $114 | $0.46 / $83 |
| 2 h | $0.92 / $167 | $0.77 / $140 | $1.25 / $228 | $0.91 / $166 |
| 4 h | $1.83 / $334 | $1.54 / $280 | $2.51 / $456 | $1.82 / $331 |
| 6 h | $2.75 / $501 | $2.31 / $420 | $3.76 / $684 | $2.73 / $497 |
| 8 h | $3.67 / $668 | $3.08 / $561 | $5.01 / $912 | $3.64 / $662 |
| 12 h | $5.50 / $1,001 | $4.62 / $841 | $7.52 / $1,368 | $5.46 / $994 |
What Iowa’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 9.2 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MidAmerican Energy Co | 632,436 | 11.0¢ | $0.39 | $645 |
| Interstate Power and Light Co | 417,153 | 17.9¢ | $0.63 | $1,050 |
| Adjustment 2024 | 205,531 | 13.0¢ | $0.46 | $763 |
What the numbers say about heat pump in Iowa
Iowa logged 5,491 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 157% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs heat pump 9.2 hours a day against the national 5.87 — 3.3 hours more. At Iowa’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 13.1¢/kWh that makes it the 16th most expensive of the 20 cold states for heat pump: $768 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $603 and Maine’s $2,061. MidAmerican Energy Co, Iowa’s largest utility with 632,436 residential customers, averages 11.0¢ — $645 for the same hours — while Adjustment 2024 at 13.0¢ comes to $763, a $117 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $17.69 against $10.84 for natural gas at Iowa’s winter average of $1.03/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the Iowa heating page works through. Iowa’s winter-average rate (13.1¢) sits 2.89¢ below its July 2026 reading of 15.99¢; 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 Iowa?
$0.46 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at Iowa’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 13.1¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1310); at MidAmerican Energy Co’s 11.0¢ it is $0.39.
How much does heat pump cost for the whole winter in Iowa?
About $768: 3,500 W × 9.2 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 13.1¢. The hours are the national 5.87 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (5,491 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is heat pump expensive to run in Iowa compared with other cold states?
Iowa is the 16th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $768 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 Iowa: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1310 $/kWh = $0.46 per hour; hours per day = 5.87 × (5,491 ÷ 3,500) = 9.2; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 9.2 × 182 × 0.1310 = $768 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 Iowa, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Iowa — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Iowa’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Iowa averages 13.1¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Iowa — Iowa’s 15.99¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in Iowa — Same Iowa rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Iowa — Same Iowa rates and degree-days applied to a 2,000 W ductless mini-split.
- Cost to run heat pump in Wyoming — $756 for the winter at 13.55¢ and 8.8 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.