HVAC Rated

Barely any heating season · Mild summers

Best heat pumps for Torrance, CA

Torrance barely needs heating; choose on cooling efficiency (SEER2 and EER2).

A typical heat pump costs about $729 a year to heat a house here and $316 to cool it. A 95% gas furnace would cost $442 for the same heat.

Cheapest to run in Torrance

Ranked by yearly electricity cost in this climate, so the balance of heating and cooling efficiency is the one that matters here.

Running cost calculator for Torrance

Pre-filled with Torrance's climate and California prices. Pick a model, tell it what you heat with today, and add your quote.

Heat pump $665/yrYou save $43/yrSee details ↓
1. Where you live
Adjust heating and cooling hours

Filled in from your city's climate. Change them if you run the system much more or less than usual.

2. The heat pump pick a model or type its ratings
3. What it replaces
4. Price replace the example with your quote
Heat pump, per year
$665
Current system, per year
$708
You save per year
$43
Payback
Over 30 years
Net after 10 years
-$8,572

Cooling $179Heating $486Electricity used: 2,007 kWhSaved vs. a minimum-efficiency heat pump: $168

Estimates use the unit's rated SEER2 and HSPF2, full-load hours derived from NOAA 1991-2020 degree days, average residential electricity prices from the U.S. EIA (12 months to July 2026) and fuel prices from EIA (2025 for natural gas, week of 2026-10-05 for propane and heating oil). Very cold days that need backup heat are not modelled. Federal minimum for comparison: 14.3 SEER2 / 7.5 HSPF2.

More for Torrance

Top 5 12,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $216/yr
Top 5 24,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $432/yr
Top 5 3-ton central heat pumpsfrom $718/yr
Heat pump vs. gas, propane and oilgas is cheaper to run

Yearly cost to heat a typical house (36,000 BTU/h of heat, 550 full-load hours) at California prices.

  • Natural gas furnace, 95% AFUE$442/yr
  • Natural gas furnace, 80% AFUE$525/yr
  • Propane furnace, 95% AFUE$609/yr
  • Heat pump (typical, 9.0 HSPF2)$729/yr
  • Heating oil, 85% AFUE$1,005/yr
  • Electric baseboard or furnace$1,923/yr

Electricity and natural gas: California residential averages from the U.S. EIA; propane and heating oil: latest EIA weekly prices.

Month by monthpeak $145 in December

Heating and cooling degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals) and what a typical 3-ton heat pump costs in each month at 33.1¢/kWh.

MonthHeating DDCooling DDCost
January2543$136
February2295$123
March2017$109
April13916$81
May7127$50
June2056$38
July3138$68
August2165$80
September4139$69
October3578$56
November14920$88
December2741$145
What size heat pump for a Torrance home?2.5 ton for 2,000 sq ft
  • 1,000 sq ft house1.5 ton · heating load 15,000 BTU/h
  • 1,500 sq ft house2 ton · heating load 22,500 BTU/h
  • 2,000 sq ft house2.5 ton · heating load 30,000 BTU/h
  • 2,500 sq ft house2.5 ton · heating load 37,500 BTU/h

Average insulation, 8 ft ceilings. Size calculator for your own home

Questions4
Do heat pumps work in Torrance winters?
Torrance barely needs heating; choose on cooling efficiency (SEER2 and EER2). The average winter low is 47°F, and the heating season adds up to 1,379 heating degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
How much does it cost to run a heat pump in Torrance?
A typical 3-ton central heat pump (17.0 SEER2, 9.0 HSPF2) uses about $729 of electricity a year for heating and $316 for cooling in Torrance, at the California average of 33.1¢/kWh. The most efficient models cost less - see the rankings above.
Is a heat pump cheaper than a gas furnace in Torrance?
Not on heating alone at today's prices: about $729 a year with a typical heat pump versus $442 with a 95% gas furnace (California averages: 33.1¢/kWh, $2.12/therm). A high-HSPF2 model narrows the gap, and a heat pump also replaces the air conditioner. Against propane, oil or electric heat it is usually far cheaper.
What size heat pump do I need for a 2,000 sq ft house in Torrance?
With average insulation, roughly a 2.5-ton system: the estimated cooling load is 27,600 BTU/h and the heating load 30,000 BTU/h. Use the size calculator for your own house, and ask installers for a Manual J calculation.

Nearby cities

Climate: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, station TORRANCE AP (4 km away).