Heat pumps do use electricity, but they move heat rather than generate it, so they use less energy than furnaces or baseboard heaters

A heat pump is an electric appliance. It needs power to run its compressor, fan, and controls. The difference between a heat pump and a traditional electric heater is what it does with that electricity: a furnace or baseboard heater converts electricity directly into heat through resistance. A heat pump uses electricity to move heat from one place to another—from outside air into your home in winter, or from inside your home to the outside in summer.

Because a heat pump moves heat instead of making it, it delivers more heat energy to your home than the electrical energy it consumes. A typical air-source heat pump might use 1 kilowatt of electricity to move 3 to 4 kilowatts of heat into your home. That ratio is called the coefficient of performance, or COP. The higher the COP, the more efficiently the heat pump converts electricity into usable warmth.

Your electricity bill will reflect the amount of power the heat pump draws from the grid. A 3-ton heat pump (a common residential size) typically draws 10 to 15 amps at full capacity. If you run it continuously during a cold winter month, you will see a measurable increase in your electric bill compared to months when heating is not needed.

Key Takeaways

  • Heat pumps require electricity to operate their compressor and fan, but they move heat rather than generate it, making them more efficient than electric resistance heaters.
  • A heat pump typically delivers 3 to 4 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity it consumes, depending on outdoor temperature and the system's age and condition.
  • Your monthly electricity use will increase during heating season, with the amount depending on your local climate, how cold it gets, and how often the system runs.
  • Heat pumps work less efficiently in very cold climates, and many systems include a backup electric heater that turns on automatically when outdoor temperatures drop below freezing.

How much electricity a heat pump actually draws

The electrical draw depends on the size of your system and how hard it is working. A small heat pump serving a single room might draw 5 to 8 amps. A whole-house system typically draws 10 to 20 amps. These numbers assume the compressor is running at full capacity. In mild weather, the system cycles on and off, so the average draw over time is lower.

To estimate your monthly electricity cost, multiply the kilowatts by the hours the system runs, then multiply by your local electricity rate. If a 3-ton heat pump draws 12 amps at 240 volts, that is roughly 2.9 kilowatts. If it runs 8 hours per day for 30 days at $0.14 per kilowatt-hour, the monthly cost would be around $98. Rates and run times vary widely by region and climate, so this is an example, not a prediction for your home.

Why heat pumps use less electricity than other electric heating

A traditional electric baseboard heater or space heater converts electricity directly into heat through a resistance element—like a toaster. All the electricity that goes in becomes heat. A heat pump does something different: it uses electricity to power a compressor that pumps heat from a cooler place to a warmer place, much like a refrigerator works in reverse.

This difference matters because moving heat is cheaper than making it. On a 35-degree day, there is still heat energy in the outside air. The heat pump extracts that energy and moves it indoors. A resistance heater cannot do that—it has to create all the heat from scratch using electricity. Over a heating season, a heat pump typically uses 30 to 50 percent less electricity than a resistance heater would to reach the same indoor temperature.

When heat pumps become less efficient and use more power

Heat pump efficiency drops as outdoor temperature falls. On a 50-degree day, the system moves heat easily and uses less electricity per unit of heat delivered. On a 10-degree day, there is less heat energy available in the outside air, so the compressor works harder and longer to extract it. The coefficient of performance drops from 3 or 4 down to 2 or even lower.

Below freezing, many heat pumps automatically switch on a backup electric heater. This is a resistance element that works like a baseboard heater—it converts electricity directly into heat. When the backup heater is running, your electricity use jumps significantly because you are no longer benefiting from the heat-moving efficiency of the compressor. In very cold climates, the backup heater may run for weeks at a time during winter.

Some newer heat pumps are designed to work efficiently even in subzero temperatures, but they are more expensive and still use more electricity in extreme cold than they do in mild weather.

How to read your electricity meter to track heat pump usage

Your electric meter shows kilowatt-hours consumed. If your meter is digital, you can read the number directly. If it is analog with spinning dials, read the dials from left to right, and if a dial pointer is between two numbers, write down the lower number. Write down the meter reading once a month on the same day, then subtract the previous month's reading to find how many kilowatt-hours you used.

To isolate the heat pump's share, compare your usage during heating season to your usage during months when you do not need heating. The difference is roughly what the heat pump consumed. If your home uses 800 kilowatt-hours in November and 600 kilowatt-hours in September, the heat pump and any other heating equipment used about 200 kilowatt-hours that month.

Keep in mind that other appliances also use more electricity in winter—water heaters, ovens, and lights all contribute to the total. The heat pump is usually the largest single consumer, but it is not the only one.

Backup heaters and when they turn on automatically

Most air-source heat pumps include a backup electric heater built into the indoor unit. This heater is controlled by a thermostat setting called the balance point or switchover temperature. When outdoor temperature drops below that point—often set at 35 degrees—the backup heater turns on automatically to help the heat pump keep up with demand.

You do not have to do anything to trigger the backup heater. The system switches it on without your input. The problem is that once it is running, your electricity consumption rises sharply because the backup heater is a pure resistance heater with no efficiency advantage. In a climate where winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing, the backup heater may run for a significant portion of the heating season.

Some heat pump owners set the switchover temperature lower than the factory default to reduce backup heater use and save electricity. This means the heat pump works harder in cold weather, but it avoids the spike in electricity consumption that comes with the backup heater. The trade-off is that your home may be slightly less comfortable on the coldest days.

Comparing heat pump electricity use to other heating methods

A natural gas furnace uses electricity only for the blower fan and controls—usually 500 to 1000 watts when running. The furnace itself burns gas to create heat. Over a heating season, a gas furnace uses far less electricity than a heat pump, but it uses gas instead, and gas prices and availability vary by region.

An oil furnace works the same way: it burns fuel and uses electricity only for the blower. An electric resistance heater—baseboard, space heater, or electric furnace—uses electricity for all its heat, so it draws much more power than a heat pump over the same period.

A ground-source heat pump (also called a geothermal heat pump) uses electricity the same way an air-source heat pump does, but it extracts heat from the ground instead of the air. Ground temperature stays more stable year-round, so the heat pump works more efficiently even in cold weather, and the backup heater runs less often. Ground-source systems use less electricity than air-source systems in cold climates, but they cost more to install.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my electricity bill go up if I switch to a heat pump?

Yes, your electricity bill will increase during months when you need heating, because the heat pump runs on electricity. However, if you are replacing a gas furnace, your total heating cost may stay the same or drop, depending on local electricity and gas prices. If you are replacing an electric resistance heater, your electricity bill will likely drop because the heat pump is more efficient.

Can I run a heat pump on solar panels or a generator?

A heat pump can run on solar panels if the panels produce enough power. A typical residential heat pump needs 10 to 20 amps at 240 volts, which is roughly 2.4 to 4.8 kilowatts. A generator rated for that capacity can run a heat pump, but fuel costs and noise make this impractical for continuous winter heating. Solar panels work better for supplementing grid power than for running the system alone.

Does a heat pump use electricity when it is in cooling mode?

Yes. In summer, the heat pump reverses direction and moves heat from inside your home to the outside. It uses the same amount of electricity as it does in heating mode, though the actual kilowatt-hours per month may differ because cooling demand varies by climate and how much you run the system.

Why does my heat pump use more electricity on very cold days?

On very cold days, the backup electric heater turns on to help the heat pump keep up with heating demand. The backup heater is a resistance element that uses electricity directly to make heat, which is less efficient than the heat pump's compressor. This causes a sharp jump in electricity consumption on the coldest days.

Can I reduce heat pump electricity use by adjusting the thermostat?

Yes. Lowering the thermostat by one degree reduces electricity use by roughly 1 to 3 percent, depending on outdoor temperature and how long the system runs. Larger reductions come from lowering the temperature more or using a programmable thermostat to reduce heating when you are away or asleep.