How Much to Run a Heat Pump in North Dakota? $871/Winter
Running heat pump in North Dakota costs about $0.41 an hour and roughly $871 for the winter — 3,500 W for 11.7 hours a day at 11.71¢/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 North Dakota rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.41 at 11.71¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $871 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 11.7 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 6,960 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 1,200–8,000)
- North Dakota rate
- 11.71¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 12 (12th most expensive)
Why this number
North Dakota runs heat pump longer than the national baseline in October–March — 11.7 hours a day on the NOAA state degree-day scaling used here, against 5.87 nationally — and pays 11.71¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $871.
Heat pump cost in North Dakota by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | North Dakota avg 11.71¢ | Northern States Power 12.1¢ | Montana-Dakota Utiliti 11.7¢ | Cass County Elec Coop 12.4¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.41 / $75 | $0.42 / $77 | $0.41 / $75 | $0.43 / $79 |
| 2 h | $0.82 / $149 | $0.85 / $154 | $0.82 / $149 | $0.87 / $158 |
| 4 h | $1.64 / $298 | $1.69 / $308 | $1.64 / $298 | $1.74 / $316 |
| 6 h | $2.46 / $448 | $2.54 / $462 | $2.46 / $447 | $2.60 / $474 |
| 8 h | $3.28 / $597 | $3.39 / $617 | $3.28 / $596 | $3.47 / $632 |
| 12 h | $4.92 / $895 | $5.08 / $925 | $4.91 / $894 | $5.21 / $948 |
What North Dakota’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 11.7 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 82,987 | 12.1¢ | $0.42 | $900 |
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | 79,354 | 11.7¢ | $0.41 | $870 |
| Cass County Elec Coop Inc | 51,968 | 12.4¢ | $0.43 | $922 |
What the numbers say about heat pump in North Dakota
North Dakota logged 6,960 population-weighted heating degree-days over October–March (NOAA CPC state series), 199% of the CONUS figure of 3,500, which is why this page runs heat pump 11.7 hours a day against the national 5.87 — 5.8 hours more. At North Dakota’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 11.71¢/kWh that makes it the 12th most expensive of the 20 cold states for heat pump: $871 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $603 and Maine’s $2,061. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, North Dakota’s largest utility with 82,987 residential customers, averages 12.1¢ — $900 for the same hours — while Cass County Elec Coop Inc at 12.4¢ comes to $922, a $22 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $15.81 against $10.11 for natural gas at North Dakota’s winter average of $0.96/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the North Dakota heating page works through. North Dakota’s winter-average rate (11.71¢) sits 1.70¢ below its July 2026 reading of 13.41¢; 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 North Dakota?
$0.41 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at North Dakota’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 11.71¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1171); at Northern States Power Co - Minnesota’s 12.1¢ it is $0.42.
How much does heat pump cost for the whole winter in North Dakota?
About $871: 3,500 W × 11.7 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 11.71¢. The hours are the national 5.87 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (6,960 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is heat pump expensive to run in North Dakota compared with other cold states?
North Dakota is the 12th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $871 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 North Dakota: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1171 $/kWh = $0.41 per hour; hours per day = 5.87 × (6,960 ÷ 3,500) = 11.7; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 11.7 × 182 × 0.1171 = $871 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 North Dakota, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in North Dakota — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at North Dakota’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — North Dakota averages 11.71¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in North Dakota — North Dakota’s 13.41¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in North Dakota — Same North Dakota rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in North Dakota — Same North Dakota 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 Colorado — $802 for the winter at 16.45¢ and 7.7 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.