Heat pump or new furnace and AC? For McKenzie Electric Coop Inc customers

For McKenzie Electric Coop Inc customers in North Dakota, on the utility's average price, local weather.

Quick answer · updated

As of November 2026, for a typical 1,800 sq ft gas-heated home on McKenzie Electric Coop Inc electricity rates in North Dakota that needs a new furnace and AC: It depends on your quotes. A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump saves about $310 a year to run, so it comes out ahead over 15 years if its quote is no more than $4,700 above the quote for a new furnace and AC.

Cite or reuse this answer

MeterWise, "Heat pump vs. gas furnace and AC on McKenzie Electric Coop Inc rates (ND)", updated 2026-11-10, https://meterwise.app/nd/mckenzie-electric-coop-inc/heat-pump-vs-furnace/. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Also as Markdown and JSON.

Electricity

7.9¢/kWh

-37% vs. North Dakota average

Heating fuel

$0.85/therm

Gas: 32% of homes here

Climate

8,965

heating degree days · Dunn Ctr 1e HCN

Rebates

Not checked

not yet researched in North Dakota

Our estimate for this home

It depends on your quotes

It depends on your quotes. A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump saves about $310 a year to run, so it comes out ahead over 15 years if its quote is no more than $4,700 above the quote for a new furnace and AC.

Heat pump still wins up to $17,400 A new furnace and AC quote $12,800 Typical high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump quote $16,700
Quotes before rebates. The shaded part of the bar is where a heat pump quote still has the lower 15-year cost.

New gas furnace + new AC

Installed
$12,800$10,000–$15,500
Energy per year
$830Baseline
15-year total
$25,200
Payback
Baseline

Heat pump (replaces both)

Installed
$12,800$8,900–$16,700
Energy per year
$810Saves $20/yr
15-year total
$24,900
Payback
Same price up front, cheaper to run

High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump

Lowest 15-year cost

Installed
$16,700$12,200–$22,200
Energy per year
$510Saves $310/yr
15-year total
$24,400
Payback
12.5 years

Total cost over 15 years

Installed cost plus energy, year by year. Hover or tap the chart to compare.

$0$10K$20K$30KInstallYear 5Year 10Year 15 Pays back in year 13 Furnace + AC $25,200 Heat pump $24,900 High-efficiency HP $24,400
  • New gas furnace + new AC
  • Heat pump (replaces both)
  • High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump
Show as a table
OptionInstalled cost (typical, range, after rebates)Energy cost per year15-year totalPayback vs. like-for-like
New gas furnace + new AC $12,800
$10,000–$15,500
$830
$25,200 Baseline
Heat pump (replaces both) $12,800
$8,900–$16,700
$810
saves $20/yr
$24,900 Same price up front, cheaper to run
High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump Lowest 15-year cost $16,700
$12,200–$22,200
$510
saves $310/yr
$24,400 12.5 years

What this is based on

  • Electricity: McKenzie Electric Coop Inc's average residential price in ND (EIA), $0.079/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.061/kWh. Enter your own rate for a closer answer.
  • Weather: Dunn Ctr 1e HCN (8,965 heating and 389 cooling degree days a year, 1991-2020).
  • Heating fuel prices (EIA): gas $0.85/therm (North Dakota, average of the last five winter months); propane $1.70/gallon (North Dakota average this heating season); heating oil $5.97/gallon (regional average this heating season).
  • Homes in McKenzie Electric Coop Inc's North Dakota area heat with electricity 47%, gas 32%, propane 19% (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023). The calculator starts with gas, the most common furnace fuel here; pick yours above.
  • North Dakota HVAC installer wages are 22% above the U.S. median (BLS), so installed prices are scaled by 1.11.
  • Energy use for heating and cooling:
    • New gas furnace + new AC: 1,438 kWh and 856 therms a year for heating and cooling
    • Heat pump (replaces both): 12,552 kWh a year for heating and cooling
    • High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump: 7,893 kWh a year for heating and cooling

Rebates

  • We haven't checked heat pump rebates in North Dakota yet, so these numbers leave them out. Utility and state programs can take thousands off a heat pump: ask McKenzie Electric Coop Inc and your contractor what's available. Each dollar of rebate adds a dollar to the quote gap a heat pump can carry.

What to know about the North Dakota numbers

How McKenzie Electric Coop Inc's rates change the answer

McKenzie Electric Coop Inc's electricity price for a typical home is 37% below the North Dakota average ($0.079 vs. $0.126 per kWh). A heat pump moves your heating from gas, propane or oil to electricity, so the electricity price is the biggest single factor: calculators that use a state average can get the answer wrong for your utility. At these prices, a heat pump is cheaper to run than gas heat for a typical home here.

Common questions

Is a heat pump worth it for McKenzie Electric Coop Inc customers?

It depends on your quotes. A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump saves about $310 a year to run, so it comes out ahead over 15 years if its quote is no more than $4,700 above the quote for a new furnace and AC. This is for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with average insulation that heats with gas and needs both a new furnace and AC; change the details in the calculator above for your home.

How much does a heat pump cost to run on McKenzie Electric Coop Inc's rates?

About $510 a year for heating and cooling with a high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump (7,893 kWh), compared with about $830 a year for a new furnace and AC, for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with weather like Dunn Ctr 1e HCN's.

How much does a heat pump cost to install in North Dakota?

Our typical installed price for a high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump in North Dakota is about $16,650 (range $12,210 to $22,200), against about $12,765 for a new furnace and AC. Prices are published study ranges scaled for home size and North Dakota installer wages; rebates in North Dakota have not been checked yet, so they are not included. Always compare real quotes.

What electricity price does this use?

Electricity: McKenzie Electric Coop Inc's average residential price in ND (EIA), $0.079/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.061/kWh. Enter your own rate for a closer answer.

How we calculate this

Heating and cooling need

Your home's yearly heating and cooling need comes from 1991-2020 NOAA climate normals for the nearest weather station, scaled by floor area and insulation level. If you know last winter's gas use, compare it with the therms in the energy-use list above.

Heating fuels

Choose the fuel your furnace burns: gas, propane, heating oil or electricity. Gas uses the state's average residential price over the last five winter months; propane and heating oil use the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly residential prices for this heating season (state, regional or U.S. average, as available), converted by heat content (91,500 Btu per gallon of propane, 138,500 per gallon of oil). An electric furnace is priced through the same electricity rates as the heat pump. The starting fuel is the most common furnace fuel in the utility's area (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey).

Equipment efficiency

New gas or propane furnace 95% AFUE, new oil furnace 85%, electric furnace 100%; new AC SEER2 13.4; standard heat pump SEER2 15.2 / HSPF2 7.8; high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump SEER2 21.5 / HSPF2 10.6. Heat pump efficiency falls as it gets colder, and in cold months part of the heat comes from backup electric strips (or your old furnace, if you keep it). Existing equipment is assumed to be 15-20 years old: an 80% gas or propane furnace, a 78% oil furnace or a SEER2 9.5 AC.

Installed costs

Installed prices vary a lot, so we show a typical price and a range for a home of about 1,800 sq ft with existing ductwork, scaled for larger or smaller homes: furnace and AC together $9,000–$14,000; furnace alone $3,800–$7,000; AC alone $4,500–$9,000; standard heat pump $8,000–$15,000; high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump $11,000–$20,000; electrical panel upgrade, if needed, $1,500–$4,000. These are national figures drawn from published studies and program data (NESCAUM / Energy Solutions, Heat Pumps in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Costs and Market Trends (October 2024); Rewiring America, Upfront cost of home electrification (March 2024); EIA, Updated Buildings Sector Appliance and Equipment Costs and Efficiencies (2023)). The most useful number here is how much more a heat pump can cost than a like-for-like quote and still come out ahead: get quotes for both and compare.

Labor and rebates

Half of each installed price is treated as labor and scaled by the state's median HVAC installer wage relative to the U.S. median (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Listed rebates are subtracted when the box is ticked; per-ton rebates assume about one ton of capacity per 600 sq ft. Rebates change often and have eligibility rules, so confirm with the program before you buy.

Not included

Financing, maintenance (similar for all options), local town rebates, and changes in energy prices over time.