Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Louisiana

$102 a year saved by heating a typical Louisiana home with a heat pump instead of a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 144 therms of gas a year for heat, about $245 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 1,121 kWh instead, $143 at 12.72¢/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 Louisiana compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Louisiana is 20th of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Louisiana has the cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 12.72¢/kWh, 31% below the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

Winters here are mild, with an estimated 1,600 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 $253 a year, against heating oil it saves $455 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $314 a year.

Heating now	Now, per year	Heat pump	Difference
Natural gas furnace	$245	$143	$102
Propane furnace	$396	$142	$253
Oil furnace	$597	$142	$455
Electric baseboard	$456	$143	$314

Two of its three neighbors do better against gas: Arkansas and Mississippi, led by Arkansas at $168 a year saved.

State	Electricity	Saving vs gas a year
Arkansas	14.33¢	$168
Mississippi	14.54¢	$118
Louisiana	12.72¢	$102
Texas	15.88¢	$79

More for Louisiana

EV charging cost in Louisiana vs gas: an EV saves $1,276 a year on fuel.
Solar payback in Louisiana: a typical system pays back in 15.9 years.

What these numbers assume

A heating load estimated from about 1,600 heating degree days a year: 144 therms of gas, 157 gallons of propane, 110 gallons of oil or 3,587 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.