How Much to Run a Heat Pump in Michigan? $0.70/Hr, $1,244/Winter
Running heat pump in Michigan costs about $0.70 an hour and roughly $1,244 for the winter — 3,500 W for 9.7 hours a day at 20.11¢/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 Michigan rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.70 at 20.11¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $1,244 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 9.7 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 5,791 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 1,200–8,000)
- Michigan rate
- 20.11¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 7 (7th most expensive)
Why this number
Michigan runs heat pump longer than the national baseline in October–March — 9.7 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 5.87 nationally — and pays 20.11¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $1,244.
Heat pump cost in Michigan by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Michigan avg 20.11¢ | DTE Electric Company 20.1¢ | Consumers Energy Co 19.1¢ | Great Lakes Energy Coo 19.2¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.70 / $128 | $0.70 / $128 | $0.67 / $122 | $0.67 / $122 |
| 2 h | $1.41 / $256 | $1.41 / $256 | $1.34 / $243 | $1.34 / $245 |
| 4 h | $2.82 / $512 | $2.81 / $512 | $2.67 / $487 | $2.69 / $489 |
| 6 h | $4.22 / $769 | $4.22 / $768 | $4.01 / $730 | $4.03 / $734 |
| 8 h | $5.63 / $1,025 | $5.63 / $1,024 | $5.35 / $973 | $5.38 / $978 |
| 12 h | $8.45 / $1,537 | $8.44 / $1,536 | $8.02 / $1,460 | $8.06 / $1,468 |
What Michigan’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 9.7 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTE Electric Company | 2,067,779 | 20.1¢ | $0.70 | $1,244 |
| Consumers Energy Co - (MI) | 1,657,843 | 19.1¢ | $0.67 | $1,182 |
| Great Lakes Energy Coop | 120,645 | 19.2¢ | $0.67 | $1,188 |
What the numbers say about heat pump in Michigan
Michigan logged 5,791 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 165% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs heat pump 9.7 hours a day against the national 5.87 — 3.8 hours more. At Michigan’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 20.11¢/kWh that makes it the 7th most expensive of the 20 cold states for heat pump: $1,244 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $603 and Maine’s $2,061. DTE Electric Company, Michigan’s largest utility with 2,067,779 residential customers, averages 20.1¢ — $1,244 for the same hours — while Great Lakes Energy Coop at 19.2¢ comes to $1,188, a $56 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $27.16 against $11.05 for natural gas at Michigan’s winter average of $1.05/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the Michigan heating page works through. Michigan’s winter-average rate (20.11¢) sits 2.94¢ below its July 2026 reading of 23.05¢; 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 Michigan?
$0.70 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at Michigan’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 20.11¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.2011); at DTE Electric Company’s 20.1¢ it is $0.70.
How much does heat pump cost for the whole winter in Michigan?
About $1,244: 3,500 W × 9.7 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 20.11¢. The hours are the national 5.87 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (5,791 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is heat pump expensive to run in Michigan compared with other cold states?
Michigan is the 7th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $1,244 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 Michigan: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.2011 $/kWh = $0.70 per hour; hours per day = 5.87 × (5,791 ÷ 3,500) = 9.7; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 9.7 × 182 × 0.2011 = $1,244 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 Michigan, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Michigan — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Michigan’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Michigan averages 20.11¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Michigan — Michigan’s 23.05¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in Michigan — Same Michigan rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Michigan — Same Michigan rates and degree-days applied to a 2,000 W ductless mini-split.
- Cost to run heat pump in Wisconsin — $1,209 for the winter at 18.39¢ and 10.3 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run heat pump in Minnesota — $1,132 for the winter at 15.41¢ and 11.5 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.