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      Barely any heating season · Very hot summers

      Best heat pumps for New Orleans, LA

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

      A typical heat pump costs about $235 a year to heat a house here and $637 to cool it. A 95% gas furnace would cost $286 for the same heat, so the heat pump is cheaper to run.

      Cheapest to run in New Orleans

      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 New Orleans

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

      Heat pump $518/yrYou save $431/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
      $518
      Current system, per year
      $948
      You save per year
      $431
      Payback
      20.9 years
      Net after 10 years
      -$4,693

      Cooling $361Heating $157Electricity used: 3,960 kWhSaved vs. a minimum-efficiency heat pump: $175

      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 New Orleans

      Top 5 12,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $166/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      Fujitsu AOUH12KTAP131.513.7$166
      Fujitsu AOUH12KZAH130.512.7$174
      Fujitsu AOUG12LZAS129.412.9$177
      Mitsubishi Electric MUZ-FX12NLHZ29.912.4$178
      Carrier 37MPRAQ12AA329.512.7$178

      All 12,000 BTU mini-splits

      Top 5 24,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $360/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      SLIMAIR SHC24VH2AG27.514.5$360
      Quilt QO1-M3Z27-NC-NA25.312.0$403
      TCL TMH27HEI2NAS0U2526.510.5$407
      TOSOT TW24HAY32A1DO27.010.0$408
      Samsung AM024HCMDCG26.010.7$409

      All 24,000 BTU mini-splits

      Top 5 3-ton central heat pumpsfrom $538/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      TOSHIBA CARRIER MCY-MUB0368HS2P-UL29.712.2$538
      LG KUSXA361A23.510.5$662
      LG KUSXB361A22.010.3$697
      Heil H5H3V36*K*AAA22.59.5$704
      Trane 5TWV0X36A121.010.5$717

      All 3-ton central heat pumps

      Heat pump vs. gas, propane and oilheat pump is cheaper than gas

      Yearly cost to heat a typical house (36,000 BTU/h of heat, 450 full-load hours) at Louisiana prices.

      • Heat pump (typical, 9.0 HSPF2)$235/yr
      • Natural gas furnace, 95% AFUE$286/yr
      • Natural gas furnace, 80% AFUE$340/yr
      • Propane furnace, 95% AFUE$498/yr
      • Electric baseboard or furnace$621/yr
      • Heating oil, 85% AFUE$822/yr

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

      Month by monthpeak $118 in August

      Heating and cooling degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals) and what a typical 3-ton heat pump costs in each month at 13.1¢/kWh.

      MonthHeating DDCooling DDCost
      January35614$76
      February22227$51
      March10678$37
      April22188$41
      May1396$77
      June0535$104
      July0601$116
      August0611$118
      September0492$95
      October15260$53
      November12769$40
      December28621$63
      What size heat pump for a New Orleans home?3 ton for 2,000 sq ft
      • 1,000 sq ft house2 ton · heating load 15,000 BTU/h
      • 1,500 sq ft house2.5 ton · heating load 22,500 BTU/h
      • 2,000 sq ft house3 ton · heating load 30,000 BTU/h
      • 2,500 sq ft house3.5 ton · heating load 37,500 BTU/h

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

      Questions4
      Do heat pumps work in New Orleans winters?
      New Orleans barely needs heating; choose on cooling efficiency (SEER2 and EER2). The average winter low is 49°F, and the heating season adds up to 1,134 heating degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
      How much does it cost to run a heat pump in New Orleans?
      A typical 3-ton central heat pump (17.0 SEER2, 9.0 HSPF2) uses about $235 of electricity a year for heating and $637 for cooling in New Orleans, at the Louisiana average of 13.1¢/kWh. The most efficient models cost less - see the rankings above.
      Is a heat pump cheaper than a gas furnace in New Orleans?
      Yes, for heating at today's prices: about $235 a year with a typical heat pump versus $286 with a 95% gas furnace, using Louisiana averages of 13.1¢/kWh and $1.68/therm.
      What size heat pump do I need for a 2,000 sq ft house in New Orleans?
      With average insulation, roughly a 3-ton system: the estimated cooling load is 35,100 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 NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AP (9 km away).