Reverse-Cycle Air Conditioner Running Cost
A reverse-cycle air conditioner's running cost is its electrical input power (kW) multiplied by the hours you run it and your electricity tariff — the same whether it's heating or cooling. Because reverse-cycle systems are efficient heaters, running cost depends far more on your unit and tariff than on a single national figure. Estimate yours with the calculator below.
How reverse-cycle running cost works
Reverse-cycle (heat pump) units move heat rather than generate it, so they use less electricity than a resistive heater for the same warmth. The running-cost formula is simple:
- Energy (kWh) = input power (kW) × hours run
- Cost = energy (kWh) × tariff (c/kWh ÷ 100)
If you only know the heating/cooling capacity and an efficiency ratio (COP/EER), the estimated input power is capacity ÷ efficiency ratio. The calculator handles both.
Worked examples
Illustrative examples using labelled assumptions (a ~13-week season), computed with the same formula as the calculator — not market claims:
- Reverse-cycle heating, medium room: 1.5 kW input, 6 hours/day, 30 c/kWh → about 9 kWh/day and approximately A$2.70/day while operating (around A$245.70 across the season).
- Reverse-cycle cooling, medium room: 1.2 kW input, 6 hours/day, 30 c/kWh → about 7.2 kWh/day and approximately A$2.16/day while operating (around A$196.56 across the season).
What changes the cost
- Your unit's input power and efficiency (COP for heating, EER for cooling).
- Hours of use and thermostat setting.
- Outdoor temperature — heat pumps work harder in extreme cold.
- Insulation, room size and draughts.
- Your electricity tariff (always user-supplied here — no national rate assumed).
Heating vs cooling