Estimate the running cost of common U.S. home-heating systems. Choose electric resistance heat, an electric heat pump, or a natural-gas furnace. Use the rates and equipment information from your own utility bill and equipment documents whenever possible.
Estimate home-heating running cost
Compare electric resistance heat, heat pumps and natural-gas furnaces.
Electricity rate
How each heating mode works
Electric resistance heating
The calculator multiplies electrical input in kilowatts by runtime and your cents-per-kWh rate. A 1.5 kW heater uses 1.5 kWh for each full hour it operates at that input.
Heat pump
The heat-pump mode uses heating output in Btu/h and coefficient of performance (COP). ENERGY STAR defines COP as the ratio of space-heating output to electrical-energy input at a particular operating condition. COP changes with outdoor temperature and system operation, so use a representative value rather than treating one COP as a seasonal guarantee.
Natural-gas furnace
The gas-furnace mode uses the furnace input rating in Btu/h and your gas price in dollars per therm. EIA defines one therm as 100,000 Btu. AFUE is optional here and is used to estimate delivered heat; ENERGY STAR describes AFUE as the percentage of incoming fuel heat converted to space heat.
Why heating costs vary
Actual cost depends on weather, thermostat settings, insulation, air leakage, equipment sizing, duct losses, cycling, heat-pump defrost and backup heat, utility rates and how much of each hour the equipment actually operates.
Official U.S. references
- ENERGY STAR — Heat Pump Equipment Key Product Criteria
- ENERGY STAR — Furnace Key Product Criteria
- EIA — Energy units and calculators
- EIA — residential electricity prices by state
Reviewed: 26 September 2026. Electricity state benchmarks use EIA July 2026 residential average retail prices.
Heating running cost FAQs
Is COP constant for a heat pump?
No. COP is tied to operating conditions. Outdoor temperature, equipment modulation, defrost and auxiliary resistance heat can change real-world electricity use.
Does AFUE change the furnace’s fuel cost per hour?
If you enter the furnace fuel-input rating, hourly fuel consumption is set by that input rating and gas price. AFUE is used here to estimate useful heat delivered, not to reduce the entered fuel input.
← U.S. heating guides · All U.S. calculators → · Methodology