Cost to heat a home in Alabama: electricity vs gas
With electricity at 16.09 cents per kWh and natural gas at $17.56 per Mcf in 2025, one MMBtu of heat costs $17.84 from a gas furnace, $15.72 from a heat pump and $47.16 from resistance heating in Alabama.
Your Alabama heating cost
Alabama inputs: 16.09 ¢ per kWh, $17.56 per Mcf, fuel only; the need is an illustration. Method.
The numbers
- Electricity 2025
- 16.09 ¢/kWhrank 16 of 45 states by price
- Natural gas 2025
- $17.56 per Mcfrank 13 of 45 states by gas price
- Gas furnace
- $17.84 per MMBtu95% efficiency, rank 13 of 45
- Heat pump
- $15.72 per MMBturank 30 of 45 states, COP 3.0 assumed
- Electric resistance
- $47.16 per MMBtu2.6 times a furnace
- Break-even COP
- 2.64a heat pump above it beats gas; rank 12 of 45
- Annual cost at 50 MMBtu
- $786 heat pumpfuel only
- Homes heated by electricity
- 67%26% utility gas, 5% propane, 0% oil
- Electricity since 2024
- +6.0%
- Gas since 2024
- -5.7%
- 2026 to date
- power +3.1%, gas +0.7%January to Aug against 2025
- Winter load
- +37% over spring and fallsummer +49%: a summer-peaking state
- Heating degree-days, normal year
- 2,6691991 to 2020; 2025 had 2,502, rank 37 of 42 states by normal HDD
- Occupied homes in Alabama (ACS 2023)
- 1,969,1051,325,466 electric, 506,582 utility gas, 105,732 propane, 2,387 oil; 65 of 67 counties are over half electric
- Generating capacity in Alabama
- 32,889 MWEIA-860 2025; 320 MW under construction
Alabama charts
One MMBtu of heat in Alabama
$17.84 gas, $15.72 heat pump, $47.16 resistance.
Alabama, Cost of one MMBtu of heat in Alabama: EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.
CSVPrices since 2015, Alabama
Electricity $47.16 and gas $17 per MMBtu of energy in 2025.
Fuel cost per MMBtu, Alabama, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
| Year | Alabama electricity | Alabama gas |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 34.3 | 13.6 |
| 2016 | 35.1 | 13.6 |
| 2017 | 36.8 | 15.6 |
| 2018 | 35.7 | 14.7 |
| 2019 | 36.7 | 15.1 |
| 2020 | 36.8 | 15.5 |
| 2021 | 38.0 | 15.2 |
| 2022 | 41.8 | 16.8 |
| 2023 | 42.9 | 19.4 |
| 2024 | 44.5 | 18.0 |
| 2025 | 47.2 | 16.9 |
11 rows from EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.
CSVHow Alabama heats
67% electric.
Alabama, How Alabama homes are heated: Census ACS 2023, table B25040.
CSVBreak-even COP by month, Alabama
1.84 to 2.96 across the months shown.
Break-even COP by month, Alabama: 12 rows
| Month | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.84 | 2.79 |
| Feb | 2.96 | 2.94 |
| Mar | 2.92 | 2.77 |
| Apr | 2.61 | 2.46 |
| May | 2.16 | 2.14 |
| Jun | 1.92 | 1.97 |
| Jul | 1.84 | 1.88 |
| Aug | 1.85 | No data |
| Sep | 1.88 | No data |
| Oct | 1.95 | No data |
| Nov | 2.40 | No data |
| Dec | 2.72 | No data |
12 rows from EIA retail sales.
CSVHow Alabama homes heat
| Alabama main fuel | Alabama homes | Alabama share | Alabama rank among states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 1,325,466 | 67.3% | 2 of 45 |
| Utility gas | 506,582 | 25.7% | 41 of 45 |
| Propane | 105,732 | 5.4% | 23 of 45 |
| Fuel oil | 2,387 | 0.1% | 37 of 45 |
| Wood | 13,995 | 0.7% | 35 of 45 |
Alabama has 32,889 MW of operable generating capacity (EIA-860, 2025), largest in natural gas at 17,505 MW; 320 MW is under construction and 1,429 MW planned, which matters if heat pumps add winter load.
31 Alabama utilities report meters to EIA-861: 92.9% of 2,399,170 home meters are smart (AMI), 1 offer a home time-of-use rate and 4,716 homes are on dynamic pricing.
Alabama counties by electric heating
Largest electric share first, then the smallest; 20 counties.
| Alabama county | Alabama residents | Alabama electric heat | Alabama utility gas | Alabama propane | Alabama median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County | 107,628 | 92% | 5% | 1% | $57,531 |
| Geneva County | 26,726 | 89% | 5% | 4% | $50,951 |
| Dale County | 49,516 | 88% | 8% | 3% | $53,955 |
| Baldwin County | 239,945 | 87% | 10% | 2% | $75,019 |
| Coffee County | 54,231 | 87% | 8% | 4% | $64,672 |
| Escambia County | 36,695 | 85% | 8% | 5% | $44,447 |
| Barbour County | 24,757 | 85% | 6% | 8% | $44,290 |
| Walker County | 64,886 | 80% | 12% | 5% | $54,509 |
| Lee County | 177,663 | 79% | 17% | 3% | $61,123 |
| Limestone County | 107,577 | 78% | 15% | 6% | $83,534 |
| Clarke County | 22,802 | 63% | 22% | 13% | $49,167 |
| Randolph County | 22,310 | 61% | 10% | 25% | $51,551 |
| Autauga County | 59,285 | 60% | 31% | 8% | $69,841 |
| Etowah County | 103,208 | 60% | 33% | 5% | $53,070 |
| Franklin County | 31,978 | 58% | 32% | 9% | $51,493 |
| Shelby County | 226,955 | 57% | 40% | 3% | $93,543 |
| Marion County | 29,190 | 56% | 37% | 5% | $50,714 |
| Montgomery County | 227,197 | 51% | 46% | 2% | $58,153 |
| Dallas County | 37,536 | 49% | 38% | 10% | $36,810 |
| Jefferson County | 669,744 | 48% | 48% | 2% | $64,589 |
Alabama month by month
| Month | Alabama electricity ¢/kWh | Alabama gas $/Mcf | Heat pump $/MMBtu | Gas furnace $/MMBtu | Alabama break-even COP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 16.40 | $25.16 | $16.0 | $25.6 | 1.88 |
| Jun 2026 | 16.40 | $24.06 | $16.0 | $24.4 | 1.97 |
| May 2026 | 16.77 | $22.64 | $16.4 | $23.0 | 2.14 |
| Apr 2026 | 17.41 | $20.39 | $17.0 | $20.7 | 2.46 |
| Mar 2026 | 17.15 | $17.83 | $16.8 | $18.1 | 2.77 |
| Feb 2026 | 16.18 | $15.89 | $15.8 | $16.1 | 2.94 |
| Jan 2026 | 16.06 | $16.59 | $15.7 | $16.9 | 2.79 |
| Dec 2025 | 15.99 | $16.97 | $15.6 | $17.2 | 2.72 |
| Nov 2025 | 16.06 | $19.31 | $15.7 | $19.6 | 2.40 |
| Oct 2025 | 16.70 | $24.71 | $16.3 | $25.1 | 1.95 |
| Sep 2025 | 16.40 | $25.18 | $16.0 | $25.6 | 1.88 |
| Aug 2025 | 16.26 | $25.38 | $15.9 | $25.8 | 1.85 |
| Jul 2025 | 15.92 | $25.02 | $15.6 | $25.4 | 1.84 |
| Jun 2025 | 16.05 | $24.11 | $15.7 | $24.5 | 1.92 |
| May 2025 | 16.15 | $21.61 | $15.8 | $22.0 | 2.16 |
| Apr 2025 | 16.84 | $18.59 | $16.5 | $18.9 | 2.61 |
| Mar 2025 | 16.57 | $16.35 | $16.2 | $16.6 | 2.92 |
| Feb 2025 | 15.80 | $15.39 | $15.4 | $15.6 | 2.96 |
| Jan 2025 | 15.09 | $15.31 | $14.7 | $15.6 | 2.84 |
Heating season
A normal year in Alabama brings 2,669 heating degree-days and 1,946 cooling degree-days (1991 to 2020). Months above 300 heating degree-days in a normal year: Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec. 2025 had 2,502, 6% below normal; the highest of 2015 to 2025 was 2,694 in 2018.
Alabama degree-days by year
Heating and cooling degree-days, Alabama, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
| Alabama year | Heating (HDD) | Cooling (CDD) | Normal HDD | Normal CDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2427 | 2086 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2016 | 2353 | 2303 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2017 | 2129 | 1919 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2018 | 2694 | 2247 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2019 | 2398 | 2287 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2020 | 2284 | 1987 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2021 | 2396 | 1889 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2022 | 2612 | 2042 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2023 | 2144 | 2061 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2024 | 2267 | 2259 | 2669 | 1946 |
| 2025 | 2502 | 2092 | 2669 | 1946 |
NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Alabama, 2015 to 2025, pulled 2 Oct 2026.
CSVHeating degree-days by month
Heating degree-days by month, Alabama: 12 rows
| Month | 2025 | Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 802 | 650 |
| Feb | 397 | 477 |
| Mar | 264 | 332 |
| Apr | 62 | 127 |
| May | 19 | 26 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 6 |
| Oct | 95 | 119 |
| Nov | 307 | 363 |
| Dec | 554 | 569 |
NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Alabama by month, 2025.
CSVAlabama, 2025 by month: 12 rows
| Month | HDD 2025 | HDD normal | CDD 2025 | CDD normal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 802 | 650 | 2 | 11 |
| Feb | 397 | 477 | 15 | 9 |
| Mar | 264 | 332 | 40 | 31 |
| Apr | 62 | 127 | 98 | 50 |
| May | 19 | 26 | 210 | 192 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 384 | 364 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 519 | 464 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 398 | 443 |
| Sep | 2 | 6 | 311 | 284 |
| Oct | 95 | 119 | 98 | 82 |
| Nov | 307 | 363 | 13 | 10 |
| Dec | 554 | 569 | 4 | 6 |
NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Alabama, 2025 by month.
CSVAnalyst note
Electric heating stands out in Alabama: 67.3% of 1,969,105 homes, rank 2 of 45. Main heating fuel in Alabama is electricity (67% of homes); electricity heats 67% and utility gas 26%. Since 2024 electricity moved +6.0% and gas -5.7%; in 2026 to date power is +3.1% and gas +0.7% on a year earlier. A COP 3.0 heat pump beats a furnace here by $2.12 per MMBtu; the break-even COP of 2.64 ranks 12th of 45. The most electric counties of Alabama with 20,000+ residents are led by Houston County at 92% of homes. A normal Alabama year has 2,669 heating degree-days, and 2025 had 2,502, so heating demand ran 6% below the 1991 to 2020 normal.
States with a similar break-even
Questions on heating in Alabama
How electric is heating in Alabama?
67.3% of 1,969,105 homes, 1,325,466 in all, ranks 2nd of 45 states; 65 of 67 counties are over half electric.
Is a heat pump cheaper than gas in Alabama?
Yes on fuel cost: $15.72 per MMBtu against $17.84 for gas, break-even COP 2.64.
Which Alabama county has the most electric heating?
Houston County: 92% of 42,581 homes among counties with 20,000+ residents, median income $57,531.
What share of Alabama homes heat with electricity?
67% of 1,969,105 occupied homes in ACS 2023, against 26% with utility gas.
Where does Alabama rank on heat pump cost?
30 of 45 at $15.72 per MMBtu; North Dakota is lowest at $11.55.
Is Alabama a winter or summer electricity state?
Summer use runs +49% over spring and fall, winter +37%: cooling drives the load.
Did gas or electricity get more expensive in Alabama in 2026?
January to Aug: electricity +3.1%, gas +0.7% on a year earlier.
How much generating capacity does Alabama have?
32,889 MW operable in 2025, 320 MW under construction, 1,429 MW planned (EIA-860).
How many Alabama homes have smart meters?
92.9% of 2,399,170 home meters, 1 of 31 reporting utilities offer time-of-use.
More on Alabama
- Alabama electricity ratesutilities, map, outages
- Average electric bill in Alabamatypical bill by month