Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Rhode Island

$404 a year more to heat a typical Rhode Island home with a heat pump than with a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 495 therms of gas a year for heat, about $842 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 4,404 kWh instead, $1,246 at 28.29¢/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 Rhode Island compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Rhode Island is 44th of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Rhode Island has the 7th most expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 28.29¢/kWh, 55% above the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

With an estimated 5,500 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 $118 a year, against heating oil it saves $817 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $2,243 a year.

Heating now	Now, per year	Heat pump	Difference
Natural gas furnace	$842	$1,246	−$404
Propane furnace	$1,363	$1,245	$118
Oil furnace	$2,063	$1,247	$817
Electric baseboard	$3,488	$1,246	$2,243

One of its two neighbors comes closer to breaking even with gas: Connecticut at $235 a year more than gas.

State	Electricity	Saving vs gas a year
Connecticut	24.16¢	−$235
Rhode Island	28.29¢	−$404
Massachusetts	30.49¢	−$538

More for Rhode Island

EV charging cost in Rhode Island vs gas: an EV saves $742 a year on fuel.
Solar payback in Rhode Island: a typical system pays back in 8.3 years.

What these numbers assume

A heating load estimated from about 5,500 heating degree days a year: 495 therms of gas, 541 gallons of propane, 380 gallons of oil or 12,331 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.