What air conditioning costs to run in Minnesota
Minnesota homes use 1,039 kWh a year on air conditioning. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $90.25 to $168.36 a year across 24 published Minnesota plans — a $78.11 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Heat Pump Service (E06)time-of-use · needs a heat pump | $58.56 | −$31.69 | 6.0¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service/Non-Demand Metered (E10 )-Residentialtime-of-use · needs controlled load equipment | $60.32 | −$29.93 | 6.2¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service Non-demand metered Residential (A05)flat rate · needs controlled load equipment | $75.60 | −$14.65 | 8.0¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $86.49 | −$3.76 | 10.5¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $90.25 | — | 10.9¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Standardtime-of-use | $91.88 | +$1.63 | 10.8¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $94.96 | +$4.71 | 11.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $96.28 | +$6.03 | 10.6¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $106.03 | +$15.78 | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Undergound (E04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $106.03 | +$15.78 | 11.8¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02)time-of-use | $111.58 | +$21.33 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Underground (E04)time-of-use | $111.58 | +$21.33 | 12.3¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03)time-of-use · tiered | $114.92 | +$24.67 | 12.4¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $114.92 | +$24.67 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01)time-of-use · tiered | $120.40 | +$30.15 | 12.6¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Electric Space Heating (A04)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $142.42 | +$52.17 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Electric Space Heating (A02)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $142.42 | +$52.17 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Electric Space Heating (A03)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $144.52 | +$54.27 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Electric Space Heating (A01)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $144.52 | +$54.27 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Standard (A04)time-of-use | $155.60 | +$65.35 | 15.8¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Standard (A02)time-of-use | $161.72 | +$71.47 | 16.3¢ |
| Residential Electric Vehicle Service (A08)time-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $165.81 | +$75.56 | 16.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Standard (A01)time-of-use | $168.36 | +$78.11 | 17.0¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03)time-of-use | $168.36 | +$78.11 | 17.0¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $39.55 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $73.84, a $34.29 spread
- Average — cheapest $90.25 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $168.36, a $78.11 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $126.93 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $236.84, a $109.91 spread
What air conditioning costs here
Across 24 plans priced in Minnesota, air conditioning adds $90.25 to $168.36 a year — $7.52 to $14.03 a month. The median plan puts air conditioning at $117.66 a year.
Cheapest for air conditioning: Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota). Dearest: Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03), Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.
Those 1,039 kWh are billed at 8.7¢–16.2¢, against a 12.5¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 3.7¢ per kWh.
What Minnesota homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 1,039 kWh a year across 307 sampled homes that run one, 55% under the national 2,318 kWh. The middle half spans 455 kWh to 1,461 kWh, so air conditioning varies by 1,006 kWh between one household and another.
All electricity used for cooling — central systems, heat pumps in cooling mode, and window or wall units — plus the air handler that runs with them. That average covers homes with air conditioning — 94% of homes here.
That makes air conditioning about 11% of the electricity a Minnesota home uses. The remaining 8,292 kWh is what air conditioning is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
By provider
On each Minnesota provider's cheapest plan: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota), $90.25; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (South Dakota), $111.58; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, $155.60.
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota charges $65.35 a year more than Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota) on Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard for the same 1,039 kWh.
Light and heavy use of air conditioning
A household in the lighter quarter runs air conditioning for 455 kWh a year and pays $39.55 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 1,461 kWh and pays $126.93 — $87.38 more for air conditioning on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Minnesota, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 24 Minnesota tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 44.9778, -93.2650.