How Much to Run a Heat Pump in Montana? $0.46/Hr, $786/Winter
Running heat pump in Montana costs about $0.46 an hour and roughly $786 for the winter — 3,500 W for 9.3 hours a day at 13.26¢/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 Montana rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.46 at 13.26¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $786 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 9.3 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 5,545 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 1,200–8,000)
- Montana rate
- 13.26¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 15 (15th most expensive)
Why this number
Montana runs heat pump longer than the national baseline in October–March — 9.3 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 5.87 nationally — and pays 13.26¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $786.
Heat pump cost in Montana by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | Montana avg 13.26¢ | NorthWestern Energy LL 14.2¢ | Adjustment 2024 12.2¢ | Flathead Electric Coop 9.7¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.46 / $84 | $0.50 / $90 | $0.43 / $78 | $0.34 / $62 |
| 2 h | $0.93 / $169 | $0.99 / $181 | $0.85 / $155 | $0.68 / $124 |
| 4 h | $1.86 / $338 | $1.99 / $362 | $1.71 / $311 | $1.36 / $247 |
| 6 h | $2.78 / $507 | $2.98 / $543 | $2.56 / $466 | $2.04 / $371 |
| 8 h | $3.71 / $676 | $3.98 / $724 | $3.42 / $622 | $2.72 / $494 |
| 12 h | $5.57 / $1,014 | $5.96 / $1,085 | $5.12 / $933 | $4.07 / $741 |
What Montana’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 9.3 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) | 328,127 | 14.2¢ | $0.50 | $841 |
| Adjustment 2024 | 78,442 | 12.2¢ | $0.43 | $723 |
| Flathead Electric Coop Inc | 63,317 | 9.7¢ | $0.34 | $575 |
What the numbers say about heat pump in Montana
Montana logged 5,545 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 heat pump 9.3 hours a day against the national 5.87 — 3.4 hours more. At Montana’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 13.26¢/kWh that makes it the 15th most expensive of the 20 cold states for heat pump: $786 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $603 and Maine’s $2,061. NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT), Montana’s largest utility with 328,127 residential customers, averages 14.2¢ — $841 for the same hours — while Flathead Electric Coop Inc at 9.7¢ comes to $575, a $267 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $17.91 against $9.37 for natural gas at Montana’s winter average of $0.89/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the Montana heating page works through. Montana’s winter-average rate (13.26¢) sits 1.73¢ below its July 2026 reading of 14.99¢; 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 Montana?
$0.46 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at Montana’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 13.26¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1326); at NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)’s 14.2¢ it is $0.50.
How much does heat pump cost for the whole winter in Montana?
About $786: 3,500 W × 9.3 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 13.26¢. The hours are the national 5.87 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (5,545 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is heat pump expensive to run in Montana compared with other cold states?
Montana is the 15th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $786 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 Montana: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1326 $/kWh = $0.46 per hour; hours per day = 5.87 × (5,545 ÷ 3,500) = 9.3; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 9.3 × 182 × 0.1326 = $786 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 Montana, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in Montana — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at Montana’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Montana averages 13.26¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in Montana — Montana’s 14.99¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in Montana — Same Montana rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in Montana — Same Montana rates and degree-days applied to a 2,000 W ductless mini-split.
- Cost to run heat pump in Colorado — $802 for the winter at 16.45¢ and 7.7 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.
- Cost to run heat pump in Iowa — $768 for the winter at 13.1¢ and 9.2 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.