How much does a heat pump cost per month in California?

About $62.53 a month, assuming 2,400 W at a 60% duty cycle, 10 hours a day, 150 days a year at 34.74¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a heat pump use?

Roughly 2,160 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 1.44 kWh for every hour it runs.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

California has the 2nd most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $396 a year.

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Cost to run a heat pump in California (June 2026 rates)

At 34.74¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in June 2026 — running a heat pump costs $750 a year. That is 89% more than the national average of $396. California's residential rate is up 3.4% from June 2025, which moves this appliance from $726 to $750 a year.

Per hour: 50.0¢
Per day of use: $5.00
Per month: $62.53
Per year: $750

Assumption: 2,400 W at a 60% duty cycle, 10 hours a day, 150 days a year — 2,160 kWh a year. A mid-size ducted heat pump in heating mode. It moves heat rather than making it, delivering two to four units of heat per unit of electricity until the outdoor temperature drops far enough to trigger backup resistance strips. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How California compares

California pays 34.74¢/kWh, the 2nd most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $354 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same heat pump costs $283 a year in Nevada and $1,139 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $856 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	29.49¢	$53.08	$637
Maine	29.59¢	$53.26	$639
Massachusetts	29.61¢	$53.30	$640
California	34.74¢	$62.53	$750
Hawaii	52.72¢	$94.90	$1,139

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a heat pump.

What else costs about the same in California

Central air conditioner$817 a year in CA Hot tub$869 a year in CA Pool pump$600 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

Auxiliary resistance heat is the expensive mode. Big thermostat setbacks trigger it on recovery, so a steady setting usually beats aggressive setbacks.
Cold-climate models hold useful capacity well below freezing; older units fall back to strips much sooner.
Keeping the outdoor coil clear of snow, leaves and shrubs protects the efficiency you paid for.

Questions

How much does a heat pump cost per month in California?: About $62.53 a month, assuming 2,400 W at a 60% duty cycle, 10 hours a day, 150 days a year at 34.74¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a heat pump use?: Roughly 2,160 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 1.44 kWh for every hour it runs.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: California has the 2nd most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $396 a year.