Best heat pumps for Mountain West

• Coloradoheat pump $1,622 · gas $1,003 · oil $4,476
• Idahoheat pump $1,090 · gas $603 · oil $3,928
• Montanaheat pump $1,616 · gas $956 · oil $5,298
• Utahheat pump $1,091 · gas $761 · oil $3,745
• Wyomingheat pump $1,641 · gas $1,242 · oil $5,298

Yearly cost to heat a typical house (36,000 BTU/h) at each state's prices and climate.

• TOSHIBA CARRIER MCY-MUB0368HS2P-UL12.2 HSPF2 · $1,238/yr
• LG KUSXA361A10.5 HSPF2 · $1,449/yr
• Trane 5TWV0X36A110.5 HSPF2 · $1,463/yr
• Lennox SL22KLV-036-230A10.5 HSPF2 · $1,466/yr
• Lennox EL21KLV-036-230A10.4 HSPF2 · $1,482/yr
• GE NS21H36MA5-**A10.4 HSPF2 · $1,482/yr

• MDV MOX430-12HFN1-MZ60W14.5 HSPF2 · $355/yr
• Goodman MSH123G26MCAA14.5 HSPF2 · $355/yr
• Fujitsu AOUH12KTAP113.7 HSPF2 · $369/yr
• Fujitsu AOUG12LZAS112.9 HSPF2 · $392/yr
• Fujitsu AOUH12KZAH112.7 HSPF2 · $397/yr
• Carrier 37MPRAQ12AA312.7 HSPF2 · $398/yr

What is the best heat pump for the Mountain West?

Winters here are cold enough that an ENERGY STAR cold-climate model is the safe choice. Ranked by yearly running cost in the regional climate, the leading 3-ton central heat pump is the TOSHIBA CARRIER MCY-MUB0368HS2P-UL and the leading 12,000 BTU mini-split is the MDV MOX430-12HFN1-MZ60W. City guides below adjust this for local weather and prices.

Do heat pumps work in the Mountain West winters?

Across the region's large cities there are on average 6.4 nights a year at or below 0°F and 63 at or below 20°F (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Modern cold-climate heat pumps keep producing heat well below 0°F, but check the output at 5°F against your heating load.

Is a heat pump cheaper than gas in the Mountain West?

At current prices a typical heat pump heats for less than a 95% gas furnace in 0 of 5 states in the region. Against heating oil or propane it is cheaper everywhere here.