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      Barely any heating season · Very hot summers

      Best heat pumps for Austin, TX

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

      A typical heat pump costs about $384 a year to heat a house here and $779 to cool it. A 95% gas furnace would cost $425 for the same heat, so the heat pump is cheaper to run.

      This guide also covers Round Rock, which share Austin's weather station and climate data.

      Cheapest to run in Austin

      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 Austin

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

      Heat pump $698/yrYou save $522/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
      $698
      Current system, per year
      $1,220
      You save per year
      $522
      Payback
      17.2 years
      Net after 10 years
      -$3,778

      Cooling $442Heating $256Electricity used: 4,360 kWhSaved vs. a minimum-efficiency heat pump: $227

      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 Austin

      Top 5 12,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $224/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      Fujitsu AOUH12KTAP131.513.7$224
      Fujitsu AOUH12KZAH130.512.7$235
      Fujitsu AOUG12LZAS129.412.9$240
      MDV MOX430-12HFN1-MZ60W27.514.5$240
      Goodman MSH123G26MCAA27.514.5$240

      All 12,000 BTU mini-splits

      Top 5 24,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $480/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      SLIMAIR SHC24VH2AG27.514.5$480
      Quilt QO1-M3Z27-NC-NA25.312.0$541
      TCL TMH27HEI2NAS0U2526.510.5$553
      Samsung AM024HCMDCG26.010.7$555
      TOSOT TW24HAY32A1DO27.010.0$558

      All 24,000 BTU mini-splits

      Top 5 3-ton central heat pumpsfrom $729/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      TOSHIBA CARRIER MCY-MUB0368HS2P-UL29.712.2$729
      LG KUSXA361A23.510.5$893
      LG KUSXB361A22.010.3$938
      Heil H5H3V36*K*AAA22.59.5$953
      Trane 5TWV0X36A121.010.5$960

      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, 600 full-load hours) at Texas prices.

      • Heat pump (typical, 9.0 HSPF2)$384/yr
      • Natural gas furnace, 95% AFUE$425/yr
      • Natural gas furnace, 80% AFUE$505/yr
      • Propane furnace, 95% AFUE$771/yr
      • Electric baseboard or furnace$1,013/yr
      • Heating oil, 85% AFUE$1,096/yr

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

      Month by monthpeak $157 in August

      Heating and cooling degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals) and what a typical 3-ton heat pump costs in each month at 16.0¢/kWh.

      MonthHeating DDCooling DDCost
      January40810$111
      February27224$78
      March14373$55
      April34172$50
      May3370$88
      June0541$128
      July0645$153
      August0665$157
      September1474$113
      October32238$65
      November18262$63
      December36816$102
      What size heat pump for a Austin 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 Austin winters?
      Austin barely needs heating; choose on cooling efficiency (SEER2 and EER2). The average winter low is 44°F, and the heating season adds up to 1,442 heating degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
      How much does it cost to run a heat pump in Austin?
      A typical 3-ton central heat pump (17.0 SEER2, 9.0 HSPF2) uses about $384 of electricity a year for heating and $779 for cooling in Austin, at the Texas average of 16.0¢/kWh. The most efficient models cost less - see the rankings above.
      Is a heat pump cheaper than a gas furnace in Austin?
      Yes, for heating at today's prices: about $384 a year with a typical heat pump versus $425 with a 95% gas furnace, using Texas averages of 16.0¢/kWh and $1.87/therm.
      What size heat pump do I need for a 2,000 sq ft house in Austin?
      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 AUSTIN-CAMP MABRY (3 km away).