How Much to Run a Heat Pump in South Dakota? $803/Winter
Running heat pump in South Dakota costs about $0.48 an hour and roughly $803 for the winter — 3,500 W for 9.3 hours a day at 13.59¢/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 South Dakota rate; the URL keeps it.
- Per hour
- $0.48 at 13.59¢/kWh
- Per winter
- $803 (182 days)
- Hours per day
- 9.3 (NOAA state heating degree-days-scaled)
- Degree-days used
- 5,532 (NOAA CPC state, population-weighted)
- Wattage
- 3,500 W (typical 1,200–8,000)
- South Dakota rate
- 13.59¢ (October 2025–March 2026 average)
- Rank of 20 cold states
- 13 (13th most expensive)
Why this number
South Dakota 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 13.59¢/kWh for it. Those two numbers, times 3,500 W, are the whole $803.
Heat pump cost in South Dakota by hours per day — per day / per winter
| Hours per day | South Dakota avg 13.59¢ | Northern States Power 13.9¢ | Adjustment 2024 12.4¢ | Black Hills Power, Inc 14.4¢ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | $0.48 / $87 | $0.49 / $89 | $0.43 / $79 | $0.50 / $92 |
| 2 h | $0.95 / $173 | $0.97 / $177 | $0.87 / $158 | $1.01 / $183 |
| 4 h | $1.90 / $346 | $1.95 / $354 | $1.74 / $316 | $2.02 / $367 |
| 6 h | $2.85 / $519 | $2.92 / $531 | $2.60 / $474 | $3.02 / $550 |
| 8 h | $3.81 / $693 | $3.89 / $708 | $3.47 / $632 | $4.03 / $734 |
| 12 h | $5.71 / $1,039 | $5.84 / $1,063 | $5.21 / $948 | $6.05 / $1,101 |
What South Dakota’s utilities charge for it
| Utility | Residential customers | ¢/kWh (EIA-861 2024) | Per hour | Per winter at 9.3 h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 92,204 | 13.9¢ | $0.49 | $821 |
| Adjustment 2024 | 85,708 | 12.4¢ | $0.43 | $733 |
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | 60,951 | 14.4¢ | $0.50 | $851 |
What the numbers say about heat pump in South Dakota
South Dakota logged 5,532 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 South Dakota’s October 2025–March 2026 average rate of 13.59¢/kWh that makes it the 13th most expensive of the 20 cold states for heat pump: $803 for the 182-day winter, against Nebraska’s $603 and Maine’s $2,061. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, South Dakota’s largest utility with 92,204 residential customers, averages 13.9¢ — $821 for the same hours — while Black Hills Power, Inc. at 14.4¢ comes to $851, a $30 spread on identical use. Per million Btu delivered, this unit at the NEEP median COP of 2.17 costs $18.35 against $10.32 for natural gas at South Dakota’s winter average of $0.98/therm, which is the whole-house comparison the South Dakota heating page works through. South Dakota’s winter-average rate (13.59¢) sits 1.78¢ below its July 2026 reading of 15.37¢; 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 South Dakota?
$0.48 an hour for a 3,500 W unit at South Dakota’s October 2025–March 2026 average average of 13.59¢/kWh (3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 0.1359); at Northern States Power Co - Minnesota’s 13.9¢ it is $0.49.
How much does heat pump cost for the whole winter in South Dakota?
About $803: 3,500 W × 9.3 hours a day × 182 days (October–March) × 13.59¢. The hours are the national 5.87 h/day scaled by NOAA CPC state population-weighted HDD, October 2025–March 2026 (5,532 against the CONUS 3,500); enter your own hours above for your own figure.
Is heat pump expensive to run in South Dakota compared with other cold states?
South Dakota is the 13th most expensive of the 20 cold states on this site at $803 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 South Dakota: 3,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.1359 $/kWh = $0.48 per hour; hours per day = 5.87 × (5,532 ÷ 3,500) = 9.3; 3,500 ÷ 1,000 × 9.3 × 182 × 0.1359 = $803 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 South Dakota, with the sourced benchmark.
- Cost to heat a home in South Dakota — Gas, propane, oil, heat pump and resistance per MMBtu at South Dakota’s own prices — the whole-house picture.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — South Dakota averages 13.59¢ but its utilities span the table above — send your own rate into this calculator.
- Solar panel cost in South Dakota — South Dakota’s 15.37¢ July rate, utilities and rate history on the solar side.
- Cost to run space heater in South Dakota — Same South Dakota rates and degree-days applied to a 1,500 W space heater.
- Cost to run ductless mini-split in South Dakota — Same South Dakota 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 Montana — $786 for the winter at 13.26¢ and 9.3 h/day — the nearest cold-state comparison.