MeterMath

Heat pump Idaho

Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Idaho

$250 a year saved by heating a typical Idaho home with a heat pump instead of a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 522 therms of gas a year for heat, about $887 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 4,644 kWh instead, $638 at 13.73¢/kWh. Electricity would have to pass 19.1¢/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 Idaho compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Idaho is 3rd of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Idaho has the 6th cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 13.73¢/kWh, 25% below the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

With an estimated 5,800 heating degree days a year, winters here are moderate, and the calculator uses a seasonal COP of 2.8.

Against propane the heat pump saves $801 a year, against heating oil it saves $1,535 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $1,148 a year.

Heating nowNow, per yearHeat pumpDifference
Natural gas furnace$887$638$250
Propane furnace$1,439$638$801
Oil furnace$2,172$637$1,535
Electric baseboard$1,785$638$1,148

One of its six neighbors does better against gas: Utah at $268 a year saved.

StateElectricitySaving vs gas a year
Utah13.12¢$268
Idaho13.73¢$250
Nevada12.77¢$191
Washington14.71¢$176
Wyoming14.36¢$138
Oregon15.97¢$113
Montana14.99¢$96

More for Idaho

What these numbers assume

  • A heating load estimated from about 5,800 heating degree days a year: 522 therms of gas, 571 gallons of propane, 400 gallons of oil or 13,004 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 2.8.
  • 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.