MeterMath

Heat pump Ohio

Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Ohio

$15 a year more to heat a typical Ohio home with a heat pump than with a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 504 therms of gas a year for heat, about $857 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 4,484 kWh instead, $872 at 19.45¢/kWh. Electricity would have to fall to 19.1¢/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 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 Ohio compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Ohio is 34th of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Ohio has the 36th cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC, near the middle, at 19.45¢/kWh, 6% above the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

With an estimated 5,600 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 $517 a year, against heating oil it saves $1,228 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $1,570 a year.

Heating nowNow, per yearHeat pumpDifference
Natural gas furnace$857$872−$15
Propane furnace$1,389$872$517
Oil furnace$2,101$873$1,228
Electric baseboard$2,442$872$1,570

Three of its five neighbors do better against gas: Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia, led by Kentucky at $182 a year saved.

StateElectricitySaving vs gas a year
Kentucky13.81¢$182
West Virginia15.78¢$131
Indiana16.73¢$107
Ohio19.45¢−$15
Pennsylvania21.72¢−$115
Michigan23.05¢−$411

More for Ohio

What these numbers assume

  • A heating load estimated from about 5,600 heating degree days a year: 504 therms of gas, 551 gallons of propane, 387 gallons of oil or 12,556 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.