Heating cost calculator: gas boiler vs heat pump
Enter how much gas you use a year and see what the same warmth would cost with a gas boiler, a heat pump or electric heaters, at today's prices for your region.
Why heat pumps aren't always much cheaper
Electricity costs about three times as much per kWh as gas. A heat pump has to be around three times as efficient just to break even. Much of the saving often comes from no longer paying the gas standing charge.
What makes a heat pump cheaper
A well-designed system with an efficiency of 3.5 or more, or a heat pump tariff with cheaper electricity at set times. Try changing the efficiency above to see the difference.
Grants
In England and Wales, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump. How the grant works.
Common questions
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler?
Often a little, but not by as much as people expect. With today's prices, a heat pump at the trial median efficiency of 2.8 costs roughly the same per unit of heat as a gas boiler. Dropping the gas standing charge, a more efficient installation, or a heat pump tariff is what makes the difference.
Why are electric heaters so expensive?
An electric heater turns one unit of electricity into one unit of heat. At 26.32p per kWh, that heat costs about three times more than heat from gas at 7.97p. Heat pumps beat them by moving heat from outside air rather than making it.
Does this include hot water?
Yes, if you enter your total gas use from your bill. Most homes with a gas boiler use it for both heating and hot water.
What isn't included?
Installation costs, servicing, and the electricity standing charge, which you pay whichever heating you have. The gas standing charge is included for the gas boiler, because you'd stop paying it if you switched completely to electric heating.