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      Barely any heating season · Hot summers

      Best heat pumps for Fontana, CA

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

      A typical heat pump costs about $663 a year to heat a house here and $982 to cool it. A 95% gas furnace would cost $402 for the same heat.

      This guide also covers Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, Rialto and Hesperia, which share Fontana's weather station and climate data.

      Cheapest to run in Fontana

      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 Fontana

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

      Heat pump $998/yrYou save $433/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
      $998
      Current system, per year
      $1,431
      You save per year
      $433
      Payback
      20.8 years
      Net after 10 years
      -$4,671

      Cooling $557Heating $442Electricity used: 3,013 kWhSaved vs. a minimum-efficiency heat pump: $310

      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 Fontana

      Top 5 12,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $322/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      Fujitsu AOUH12KTAP131.513.7$322
      Fujitsu AOUH12KZAH130.512.7$339
      MDV MOX430-12HFN1-MZ60W27.514.5$339
      Goodman MSH123G26MCAA27.514.5$339
      Fujitsu AOUG12LZAS129.412.9$343

      All 12,000 BTU mini-splits

      Top 5 24,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $679/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      SLIMAIR SHC24VH2AG27.514.5$679
      Quilt QO1-M3Z27-NC-NA25.312.0$771
      MDV MOD30-24HFN10-M1X22.313.5$794
      Fujitsu AOUH24KZAH124.011.9$798
      Mainline ML24HP230NEXH-O22.313.3$798

      All 24,000 BTU mini-splits

      Top 5 3-ton central heat pumpsfrom $1,051/yr
      ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
      TOSHIBA CARRIER MCY-MUB0368HS2P-UL29.712.2$1,051
      LG KUSXA361A23.510.5$1,278
      LG KUSXB361A22.010.3$1,338
      Trane 5TWV0X36A121.010.5$1,363
      Heil H5H3V36*K*AAA22.59.5$1,370

      All 3-ton central heat pumps

      Heat pump vs. gas, propane and oilgas is cheaper to run

      Yearly cost to heat a typical house (36,000 BTU/h of heat, 500 full-load hours) at California prices.

      • Natural gas furnace, 95% AFUE$402/yr
      • Natural gas furnace, 80% AFUE$477/yr
      • Propane furnace, 95% AFUE$554/yr
      • Heat pump (typical, 9.0 HSPF2)$663/yr
      • Heating oil, 85% AFUE$913/yr
      • Electric baseboard or furnace$1,748/yr

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

      Month by monthpeak $233 in August

      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
      January2805$146
      February2288$121
      March17223$100
      April10557$83
      May37121$79
      June4250$127
      July0442$220
      August0467$233
      September1378$189
      October26177$101
      November13540$89
      December3042$157
      What size heat pump for a Fontana 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 ton · heating load 37,500 BTU/h

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

      Questions4
      Do heat pumps work in Fontana winters?
      Fontana barely needs heating; choose on cooling efficiency (SEER2 and EER2). The average winter low is 45°F, and the heating season adds up to 1,293 heating degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
      How much does it cost to run a heat pump in Fontana?
      A typical 3-ton central heat pump (17.0 SEER2, 9.0 HSPF2) uses about $663 of electricity a year for heating and $982 for cooling in Fontana, 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 Fontana?
      Not on heating alone at today's prices: about $663 a year with a typical heat pump versus $402 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 Fontana?
      With average insulation, roughly a 3-ton system: the estimated cooling load is 32,100 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 ONTARIO INTL AP (12 km away).