Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Maine

$1,123 a year more to heat a typical Maine home with a heat pump than with a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 675 therms of gas a year for heat, about $1,148 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 7,007 kWh instead, $2,271 at 32.41¢/kWh. Electricity would have to fall to 16.4¢/kWh, or gas rise in price, before the heat pump became the cheaper way to heat.

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

How Maine compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Maine is 51st of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Maine has the 3rd most expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 32.41¢/kWh, 77% above the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

Maine is a cold-climate state, with an estimated 7,500 heating degree days a year, so the calculator uses a lower seasonal COP of 2.4. Cold-climate heat pumps rated for low temperatures can do better.

Against propane the heat pump costs $411 a year more, against heating oil it saves $541 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $3,179 a year.

Heating now	Now, per year	Heat pump	Difference
Natural gas furnace	$1,148	$2,271	−$1,123
Propane furnace	$1,860	$2,271	−$411
Oil furnace	$2,813	$2,272	$541
Electric baseboard	$5,450	$2,271	$3,179

Every other New England state comes closer to breaking even with gas, led by Connecticut at $235 a year more than gas.

State	Electricity	Saving vs gas a year
Connecticut	24.16¢	−$235
Rhode Island	28.29¢	−$404
Vermont	23.75¢	−$517
Massachusetts	30.49¢	−$538
New Hampshire	26.60¢	−$659
Maine	32.41¢	−$1,123

More for Maine

EV charging cost in Maine vs gas: an EV saves $601 a year on fuel.
Solar payback in Maine: a typical system pays back in 7.6 years.

What these numbers assume

A heating load estimated from about 7,500 heating degree days a year: 675 therms of gas, 738 gallons of propane, 518 gallons of oil or 16,816 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 2.4.
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.