MeterMath

Heat pump Wisconsin

Heat pump vs gas heating cost in Wisconsin

$180 a year more to heat a typical Wisconsin home with a heat pump than with a gas furnace.

A typical home here burns about 648 therms of gas a year for heat, about $1,102 at the national average of $1.70/therm. A heat pump would use about 6,726 kWh instead, $1,282 at 19.06¢/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 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 Wisconsin compares

Ranked by yearly saving against gas, Wisconsin is 40th of 51. At U.S. average figures a heat pump saves $27 a year. Wisconsin has the 34th cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC, near the middle, at 19.06¢/kWh, 4% above the U.S. average of 18.31¢.

Wisconsin is a cold-climate state, with an estimated 7,200 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 saves $504 a year, against heating oil it saves $1,417 a year, and against electric baseboard heat it saves $1,795 a year.

Heating nowNow, per yearHeat pumpDifference
Natural gas furnace$1,102$1,282−$180
Propane furnace$1,787$1,283$504
Oil furnace$2,699$1,282$1,417
Electric baseboard$3,077$1,282$1,795

Three of its four neighbors do better against gas: Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota, led by Iowa at $24 a year saved.

StateElectricitySaving vs gas a year
Iowa15.99¢$24
Illinois19.22¢−$5
Minnesota17.45¢−$79
Wisconsin19.06¢−$180
Michigan23.05¢−$411

More for Wisconsin

What these numbers assume

  • A heating load estimated from about 7,200 heating degree days a year: 648 therms of gas, 709 gallons of propane, 497 gallons of oil or 16,143 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.