MeterMath

Heat pump Arkansas

Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Arkansas

$168 a year saved by heating a typical Arkansas home with a heat pump instead of a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 288 therms of gas a year for heat, about $490 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 2,242 kWh instead, $321 at 14.33¢/kWh. Electricity would have to pass 21.8¢/kWh before gas became the cheaper way to heat.

Prices updated October 2026 from EIA, AAA and BLS data.

How you heat now
therms/yr
 
$/therm
 
¢/kWh
 
Efficiency, upfront cost and rebates
%
Older furnaces 78 to 80, new 90 to 97.
 
$
Heat pumps also replace your AC.
$
State, utility or HEAR rebates.

How Arkansas compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Arkansas is 10th of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Arkansas has the 9th cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 14.33¢/kWh, 22% below the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

Winters here are mild, with an estimated 3,200 heating degree days a year, so the calculator uses a seasonal COP of 3.2: each kWh of electricity delivers 3.2 kWh of heat.

Against propane the heat pump saves $472 a year, against heating oil it saves $879 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $707 a year.

Heating nowNow, per yearHeat pumpDifference
Natural gas furnace$490$321$168
Propane furnace$794$321$472
Oil furnace$1,200$321$879
Electric baseboard$1,028$321$707

Two of its six neighbors do better against gas: Oklahoma and Tennessee, led by Tennessee at $211 a year saved.

StateElectricitySaving vs gas a year
Tennessee13.71¢$211
Oklahoma14.35¢$178
Arkansas14.33¢$168
Mississippi14.54¢$118
Missouri16.09¢$116
Louisiana12.72¢$102
Texas15.88¢$79

More for Arkansas

What these numbers assume

  • A heating load estimated from about 3,200 heating degree days a year: 288 therms of gas, 315 gallons of propane, 221 gallons of oil or 7,175 kWh of baseboard heat.
  • Natural gas at $1.70/therm, the U.S. city average for September 2026. Gas prices vary a lot by state and utility, so enter the price per therm from your bill.
  • Propane at $2.52 and heating oil at $5.43 a gallon, EIA forecasts for winter 2026–27.
  • Furnaces 85% efficient (oil 80%), and a heat pump with a seasonal COP of 3.2.
  • No federal tax credit: Section 25C ended for equipment placed in service after December 31, 2025.

Change any of them in the calculator above to match your own bills. The formulas are on the main heat pump calculator.

Sources

  • Electricity price: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data).
  • Natural gas: BLS U.S. city average, September 2026.
  • Propane and heating oil: EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook winter forecast, October 2026.
  • Heating degree days: MeterMath rounded estimate for the state.
  • Tax credit status: Public Law 119-21.