Cost to heat a home in Montana: electricity vs gas
With electricity at 12.98 cents per kWh and natural gas at $8.99 per Mcf in 2025, one MMBtu of heat costs $9.13 from a gas furnace, $12.68 from a heat pump and $38.04 from resistance heating in Montana.
Your Montana heating cost
Montana inputs: 12.98 ¢ per kWh, $8.99 per Mcf, fuel only; the need is an illustration. Method.
The numbers
- Electricity 2025
- 12.98 ¢/kWhrank 40 of 45 states by price
- Natural gas 2025
- $8.99 per Mcfrank 44 of 45 states by gas price
- Gas furnace
- $9.13 per MMBtu95% efficiency, rank 44 of 45
- Heat pump
- $12.68 per MMBturank 6 of 45 states, COP 3.0 assumed
- Electric resistance
- $38.04 per MMBtu4.2 times a furnace
- Break-even COP
- 4.16a heat pump above it beats gas; rank 36 of 45
- Annual cost at 50 MMBtu
- $634 heat pumpfuel only
- Homes heated by electricity
- 27%51% utility gas, 13% propane, 1% oil
- Electricity since 2024
- +2.5%
- Gas since 2024
- +9.4%
- 2026 to date
- power +11.3%, gas -2.4%January to Jul against 2025
- Winter load
- +60% over spring and fallsummer +11%: a winter-peaking state
- Heating degree-days, normal year
- 8,9991991 to 2020; 2025 had 8,014, rank 3 of 42 states by normal HDD
- Occupied homes in Montana (ACS 2023)
- 452,683120,498 electric, 230,573 utility gas, 59,039 propane, 3,199 oil; 1 of 56 counties are over half electric
- Generating capacity in Montana
- 7,662 MWEIA-860 2025; 80 MW under construction
Montana charts
One MMBtu of heat in Montana
$9.13 gas, $12.68 heat pump, $38.04 resistance.
Montana, Cost of one MMBtu of heat in Montana: EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.
CSVPrices since 2015, Montana
Electricity $38.04 and gas $9 per MMBtu of energy in 2025.
Fuel cost per MMBtu, Montana, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
| Year | Montana electricity | Montana gas |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 31.9 | 7.9 |
| 2016 | 32.1 | 7.0 |
| 2017 | 32.1 | 7.4 |
| 2018 | 32.1 | 7.1 |
| 2019 | 32.6 | 6.8 |
| 2020 | 32.9 | 7.0 |
| 2021 | 32.9 | 8.6 |
| 2022 | 33.2 | 10.1 |
| 2023 | 36.8 | 9.8 |
| 2024 | 37.1 | 7.9 |
| 2025 | 38.0 | 8.7 |
11 rows from EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.
CSVHow Montana heats
27% electric.
Montana, How Montana homes are heated: Census ACS 2023, table B25040.
CSVBreak-even COP by month, Montana
2.80 to 4.82 across the months shown.
Break-even COP by month, Montana: 12 rows
| Month | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.19 | 4.28 |
| Feb | 4.19 | 4.47 |
| Mar | 4.10 | 4.59 |
| Apr | 4.00 | 4.66 |
| May | 3.94 | 4.82 |
| Jun | 3.77 | 4.32 |
| Jul | 3.07 | 3.49 |
| Aug | 2.80 | No data |
| Sep | 2.95 | No data |
| Oct | 3.63 | No data |
| Nov | 3.96 | No data |
| Dec | 4.17 | No data |
12 rows from EIA retail sales.
CSVHow Montana homes heat
| Montana main fuel | Montana homes | Montana share | Montana rank among states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 120,498 | 26.6% | 27 of 45 |
| Utility gas | 230,573 | 50.9% | 21 of 45 |
| Propane | 59,039 | 13.0% | 5 of 45 |
| Fuel oil | 3,199 | 0.7% | 21 of 45 |
| Wood | 31,076 | 6.9% | 2 of 45 |
Montana has 7,662 MW of operable generating capacity (EIA-860, 2025), largest in hydro (conventional) at 2,684 MW; 80 MW is under construction and 837 MW planned, which matters if heat pumps add winter load.
5 Montana utilities report meters to EIA-861: 28.4% of 561,324 home meters are smart (AMI), 2 offer a home time-of-use rate and 94,543 homes are on dynamic pricing.
Montana counties by electric heating
Largest electric share first, then the smallest; 10 counties.
| Montana county | Montana residents | Montana electric heat | Montana utility gas | Montana propane | Montana median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 32,073 | 57% | 4% | 19% | $61,965 |
| Lincoln County | 20,656 | 49% | 4% | 11% | $47,018 |
| Flathead County | 108,445 | 37% | 44% | 9% | $71,327 |
| Missoula County | 119,639 | 33% | 54% | 7% | $71,246 |
| Gallatin County | 122,194 | 31% | 55% | 8% | $87,454 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 72,580 | 25% | 58% | 10% | $74,543 |
| Silver Bow County | 35,589 | 23% | 65% | 6% | $57,504 |
| Yellowstone County | 167,340 | 22% | 68% | 7% | $74,400 |
| Ravalli County | 45,807 | 20% | 40% | 22% | $71,323 |
| Cascade County | 84,601 | 15% | 74% | 6% | $66,203 |
Montana month by month
| Month | Montana electricity ¢/kWh | Montana gas $/Mcf | Heat pump $/MMBtu | Gas furnace $/MMBtu | Montana break-even COP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 14.99 | $12.40 | $14.6 | $12.6 | 3.49 |
| Jun 2026 | 15.14 | $10.12 | $14.8 | $10.3 | 4.32 |
| May 2026 | 14.67 | $8.77 | $14.3 | $8.9 | 4.82 |
| Apr 2026 | 13.90 | $8.61 | $13.6 | $8.7 | 4.66 |
| Mar 2026 | 13.48 | $8.47 | $13.2 | $8.6 | 4.59 |
| Feb 2026 | 13.33 | $8.60 | $13.0 | $8.7 | 4.47 |
| Jan 2026 | 12.86 | $8.67 | $12.6 | $8.8 | 4.28 |
| Dec 2025 | 12.77 | $8.84 | $12.5 | $9.0 | 4.17 |
| Nov 2025 | 12.82 | $9.33 | $12.5 | $9.5 | 3.96 |
| Oct 2025 | 14.27 | $11.35 | $13.9 | $11.5 | 3.63 |
| Sep 2025 | 14.64 | $14.33 | $14.3 | $14.6 | 2.95 |
| Aug 2025 | 14.28 | $14.69 | $14.0 | $14.9 | 2.80 |
| Jul 2025 | 14.27 | $13.41 | $13.9 | $13.6 | 3.07 |
| Jun 2025 | 14.81 | $11.33 | $14.5 | $11.5 | 3.77 |
| May 2025 | 12.88 | $9.42 | $12.6 | $9.6 | 3.94 |
| Apr 2025 | 12.31 | $8.88 | $12.0 | $9.0 | 4.00 |
| Mar 2025 | 11.93 | $8.40 | $11.7 | $8.5 | 4.10 |
| Feb 2025 | 11.60 | $7.98 | $11.3 | $8.1 | 4.19 |
| Jan 2025 | 11.38 | $7.83 | $11.1 | $8.0 | 4.19 |
Heating season
A normal year in Montana brings 8,999 heating degree-days and 161 cooling degree-days (1991 to 2020). Months above 300 heating degree-days in a normal year: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. 2025 had 8,014, 11% below normal; the highest of 2015 to 2025 was 9,290 in 2019.
Montana degree-days by year
Heating and cooling degree-days, Montana, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
| Montana year | Heating (HDD) | Cooling (CDD) | Normal HDD | Normal CDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7708 | 228 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2016 | 7890 | 180 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2017 | 8448 | 279 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2018 | 8739 | 171 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2019 | 9290 | 147 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2020 | 8300 | 202 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2021 | 8203 | 341 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2022 | 8821 | 313 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2023 | 8204 | 235 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2024 | 8016 | 258 | 8999 | 161 |
| 2025 | 8014 | 237 | 8999 | 161 |
NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Montana, 2015 to 2025, pulled 2 Oct 2026.
CSVHeating degree-days by month
Heating degree-days by month, Montana: 12 rows
| Month | 2025 | Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1396 | 1423 |
| Feb | 1352 | 1177 |
| Mar | 886 | 1096 |
| Apr | 728 | 760 |
| May | 420 | 514 |
| Jun | 223 | 286 |
| Jul | 81 | 113 |
| Aug | 89 | 141 |
| Sep | 200 | 381 |
| Oct | 689 | 709 |
| Nov | 865 | 1065 |
| Dec | 1085 | 1334 |
NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Montana by month, 2025.
CSVMontana, 2025 by month: 12 rows
| Month | HDD 2025 | HDD normal | CDD 2025 | CDD normal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1,396 | 1,423 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 1,352 | 1,177 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 886 | 1,096 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 728 | 760 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 420 | 514 | 4 | 2 |
| Jun | 223 | 286 | 24 | 19 |
| Jul | 81 | 113 | 89 | 76 |
| Aug | 89 | 141 | 78 | 54 |
| Sep | 200 | 381 | 42 | 10 |
| Oct | 689 | 709 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 865 | 1,065 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 1,085 | 1,334 | 0 | 0 |
NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Montana, 2025 by month.
CSVAnalyst note
Wood stands out in Montana: 31,076 homes, 6.9%, rank 2 of 45. Main heating fuel in Montana is utility gas (51% of homes); electricity heats 27% and utility gas 51%. Since 2024 electricity moved +2.5% and gas +9.4%; in 2026 to date power is +11.3% and gas -2.4% on a year earlier. A COP 3.0 heat pump trails a furnace here by $3.55 per MMBtu; the break-even COP of 4.16 ranks 36 of 45. The most electric counties of Montana with 20,000+ residents are led by Lake County at 57% of homes. A normal Montana year has 8,999 heating degree-days, and 2025 had 8,014, so heating demand ran 11% below the 1991 to 2020 normal.
States with a similar break-even
| State near Montana | Break-even COP near Montana | Gas, $ per MMBtu | Heat pump, $ per MMBtu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 4.16 | $11.16 | $15.45 |
| Colorado | 4.09 | $11.35 | $15.48 |
| Indiana | 4.07 | $11.67 | $15.86 |
| California | 4.26 | $22.36 | $31.79 |
| New York | 4.33 | $17.86 | $25.78 |
| South Dakota | 3.91 | $10.02 | $13.07 |
Questions on heating in Montana
How many Montana homes heat with wood?
31,076 of 452,683 homes, 6.9%, ranks 2 of 45 states.
Is a heat pump cheaper than gas in Montana?
No on fuel cost: $12.68 per MMBtu against $9.13 for gas, break-even COP 4.16.
Which Montana county has the most electric heating?
Lake County: 57% of 12,175 homes among counties with 20,000+ residents, median income $61,965.
What share of Montana homes heat with electricity?
27% of 452,683 occupied homes in ACS 2023, against 51% with utility gas.
Where does Montana rank on heat pump cost?
6 of 45 at $12.68 per MMBtu; North Dakota is lowest at $11.54.
Is Montana a winter or summer electricity state?
Winter use runs +60% over spring and fall, summer +11%: heating drives the load.
Did gas or electricity get more expensive in Montana in 2026?
January to Jul: electricity +11.3%, gas -2.4% on a year earlier.
How much generating capacity does Montana have?
7,662 MW operable in 2025, 80 MW under construction, 837 MW planned (EIA-860).
How many Montana homes have smart meters?
28.4% of 561,324 home meters, 2 of 5 reporting utilities offer time-of-use.
More on Montana
- Montana electricity ratesutilities, map, outages
- Average electric bill in Montanatypical bill by month