HVAC Rated

Barely any heating season · Very hot summers

Best heat pumps for St. Petersburg, FL

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

A typical heat pump costs about $92 a year to heat a house here and $897 to cool it. A 95% gas furnace would cost $140 for the same heat, so the heat pump is cheaper to run.

Cheapest to run in St. Petersburg

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 St. Petersburg

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

Heat pump $570/yrYou save $558/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
$570
Current system, per year
$1,128
You save per year
$558
Payback
16.1 years
Net after 10 years
-$3,424

Cooling $509Heating $62Electricity used: 3,700 kWhSaved vs. a minimum-efficiency heat pump: $215

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 St. Petersburg

Top 5 12,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $182/yr
Top 5 24,000 BTU mini-splitsfrom $408/yr
Top 5 3-ton central heat pumpsfrom $582/yr
ModelSEER2HSPF2Per year
TOSHIBA CARRIER MCY-MUB0368HS2P-UL29.712.2$582
LG KUSXA361A23.510.5$728
Heil H5H3V36*K*AAA22.59.5$766
LG KUSXB361A22.010.3$774
Trane 5TWV0X36A121.010.5$806

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, 150 full-load hours) at Florida prices.

  • Heat pump (typical, 9.0 HSPF2)$92/yr
  • Natural gas furnace, 95% AFUE$140/yr
  • Natural gas furnace, 80% AFUE$166/yr
  • Electric baseboard or furnace$244/yr
  • Heating oil, 85% AFUE$274/yr
  • Propane furnace, 95% AFUE$302/yr

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

Month by monthpeak $135 in August

Heating and cooling degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals) and what a typical 3-ton heat pump costs in each month at 15.4¢/kWh.

MonthHeating DDCooling DDCost
January13850$47
February7674$37
March30154$43
April4279$65
May0448$103
June0534$122
July0583$134
August0589$135
September0526$121
October2397$91
November20189$49
December8689$43
What size heat pump for a St. Petersburg home?3 ton for 2,000 sq ft
  • 1,000 sq ft house2 ton · heating load 10,000 BTU/h
  • 1,500 sq ft house2.5 ton · heating load 15,000 BTU/h
  • 2,000 sq ft house3 ton · heating load 20,000 BTU/h
  • 2,500 sq ft house3.5 ton · heating load 25,000 BTU/h

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

Questions4
Do heat pumps work in St. Petersburg winters?
St. Petersburg barely needs heating; choose on cooling efficiency (SEER2 and EER2). The average winter low is 57°F, and the heating season adds up to 357 heating degree days (NOAA 1991-2020 normals).
How much does it cost to run a heat pump in St. Petersburg?
A typical 3-ton central heat pump (17.0 SEER2, 9.0 HSPF2) uses about $92 of electricity a year for heating and $897 for cooling in St. Petersburg, at the Florida average of 15.4¢/kWh. The most efficient models cost less - see the rankings above.
Is a heat pump cheaper than a gas furnace in St. Petersburg?
Yes, for heating at today's prices: about $92 a year with a typical heat pump versus $140 with a 95% gas furnace, using Florida averages of 15.4¢/kWh and $2.46/therm.
What size heat pump do I need for a 2,000 sq ft house in St. Petersburg?
With average insulation, roughly a 3-ton system: the estimated cooling load is 35,100 BTU/h and the heating load 20,000 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 ST PETERSBURG AP (2 km away).