HVAC & Energy
Heat Pump Running Cost Calculator
Convert useful heat demand into electricity with an explicit COP or seasonal COP. Compare runtime and annual-demand scenarios, include auxiliary electricity and optionally compare an entered reference heating cost and simple payback.
Change any input to update the calculation. Unit changes preserve the physical quantity.
Inputs
Use a seasonal value for annual demand; a scenario COP for runtime. This is not SEER, HSPF or an assumed manufacturer rating.
Backup heaters, pumps and other electricity not already included in your COP/SCOP value.
Your local currency per kWh; exclude fixed charges unless you explicitly allocate them.
Local currency per kWh of purchased input energy. Enter 0 to omit comparison; convert therms/litres/etc to kWh first.
Your local currency; used only when annual savings are positive.
Calculated locally in your browser. No sign-up or input upload.
Results
Annual electricity incl. auxiliaries
4,000 kWh13.649 MMBTUAnnual useful heat
12,000 kWh40.946 MMBTUHeat-pump heating electricity
4,000 kWhAnnual running cost
800 local currencyAnnual cost / 12
66.667 local currency/month averageCOP incl. entered auxiliaries
3Cost per useful kWh
0.0667 local currency/kWhCalculation breakdown
- Annual calculation
- Useful heat / COP or SCOP + auxiliary electricity; monthly figure is annual cost / 12, not a seasonal bill forecast.
Assumptions & checks
COP varies with temperature, water supply temperature, defrost and part-load operation. Enter verified scenario/seasonal performance; this is not an equipment efficiency guarantee.
Average monthly cost is annual cost divided by 12. Seasonal bills, cooling, standing charges, maintenance and financing are not predicted.
Formula
COP uses identical thermal and electrical energy units. Runtime mode first estimates useful heat from capacity, load fraction, hours and days. Simple payback excludes finance, maintenance, future tariff changes and equipment life.
Worked example
Using the default values shown in the calculator, the same formula gives the following result. This is a quick sanity check for the calculation, not a design recommendation.
Inputs
- Annual useful heat delivered
- 12000 kWh
- COP / seasonal COP
- 3
- Annual auxiliary electricity
- 0 kWh
- Electricity price per kWh
- 0.2
- Reference fuel / heating energy price (optional)
- 0
- Reference heating efficiency
- 80 %
- Incremental installed cost (optional)
- 0
Result
- Annual electricity incl. auxiliaries
- 4,000 kWh
- Annual useful heat
- 12,000 kWh
- Heat-pump heating electricity
- 4,000 kWh
- Annual running cost
- 800 local currency
- Annual cost / 12
- 66.667 local currency/month average
- COP incl. entered auxiliaries
- 3
- Cost per useful kWh
- 0.0667 local currency/kWh
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Frequently asked questions
Should I enter heat-pump thermal or electrical capacity?
Runtime mode asks for useful thermal output. The tool divides the estimated delivered heat by COP to estimate electricity; do not enter electrical input as thermal capacity.
Can I use SEER or HSPF as COP?
No. COP is a dimensionless same-unit ratio. Other efficiency metrics use different units or test methods and require a justified conversion or actual seasonal performance data.
Why is payback sometimes omitted?
The tool reports simple payback only when the reference comparison gives positive annual savings and an incremental installed cost was entered.
Reference data & method sources
- US DOE: coefficient of performance definition
COP is useful thermal output divided by electrical input in identical energy units. Enter real COP/SCOP and tariff rather than assuming a universal efficiency.