Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EIA retail sales, EIA-860/923, Census ACS, NOAA · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Cost to heat a home in New York: electricity vs gas

With electricity at 26.39 cents per kWh and natural gas at $17.58 per Mcf in 2025, one MMBtu of heat costs $17.86 from a gas furnace, $25.78 from a heat pump and $77.34 from resistance heating in New York.

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Your New York heating cost

    New York inputs: 26.39 ¢ per kWh, $17.58 per Mcf, fuel only; the need is an illustration. Method.

    The numbers

    Electricity 2025
    26.39 ¢/kWhrank 4 of 45 states by price
    Natural gas 2025
    $17.58 per Mcfrank 12 of 45 states by gas price
    Gas furnace
    $17.86 per MMBtu95% efficiency, rank 12 of 45
    Heat pump
    $25.78 per MMBturank 42 of 45 states, COP 3.0 assumed
    Electric resistance
    $77.34 per MMBtu4.3 times a furnace
    Break-even COP
    4.33a heat pump above it beats gas; rank 38 of 45
    Annual cost at 50 MMBtu
    $1,289 heat pumpfuel only
    Homes heated by electricity
    14%59% utility gas, 5% propane, 17% oil
    Electricity since 2024
    +8.0%
    Gas since 2024
    +6.0%
    2026 to date
    power +13.0%, gas +9.9%January to Jul against 2025
    Winter load
    +36% over spring and fallsummer +53%: a summer-peaking state
    Heating degree-days, normal year
    6,4951991 to 2020; 2025 had 5,918, rank 16 of 42 states by normal HDD
    Occupied homes in New York (ACS 2023)
    7,668,9561,104,384 electric, 4,548,825 utility gas, 370,693 propane, 1,305,169 oil; 0 of 62 counties are over half electric
    Generating capacity in New York
    43,916 MWEIA-860 2025; 3,354 MW under construction

    New York charts

    One MMBtu of heat in New York

    $17.86 gas, $25.78 heat pump, $77.34 resistance.

    $ per MMBtu

    • Electric resistance77.3
    • Heat pump, COP 3.025.8
    • Gas furnace, 95%17.9

    New York, Cost of one MMBtu of heat in New York: EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.

    CSV

    Prices since 2015, New York

    Electricity $77.34 and gas $17 per MMBtu of energy in 2025.

    Fuel cost per MMBtu, New York, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
    YearNew York electricityNew York gas
    201554.310.8
    201651.510.5
    201752.811.6
    201854.311.9
    201952.612.2
    202053.812.4
    202157.113.3
    202264.715.8
    202365.216.3
    202471.616.0
    202577.317.0

    11 rows from EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.

    CSV

    How New York heats

    14% electric.

    % of homes

    • Electricity14.4
    • Utility gas59.3
    • Propane4.8
    • Fuel oil17.0
    • Wood1.3

    New York, How New York homes are heated: Census ACS 2023, table B25040.

    CSV

    Break-even COP by month, New York

    2.62 to 5.27 across the months shown.

    Break-even COP by month, New York: 12 rows
    Month20252026
    Jan5.065.11
    Feb5.225.27
    Mar4.564.36
    Apr4.064.02
    May3.313.80
    Jun3.203.15
    Jul2.622.79
    Aug2.62No data
    Sep2.95No data
    Oct3.26No data
    Nov4.25No data
    Dec4.92No data

    12 rows from EIA retail sales.

    CSV

    How New York homes heat

    New York main fuelNew York homesNew York shareNew York rank among states
    Electricity1,104,38414.4%41 of 45
    Utility gas4,548,82559.3%15 of 45
    Propane370,6934.8%27 of 45
    Fuel oil1,305,16917.0%5 of 45
    Wood102,6931.3%23 of 45

    New York has 43,916 MW of operable generating capacity (EIA-860, 2025), largest in natural gas at 24,274 MW; 3,354 MW is under construction and 3,269 MW planned, which matters if heat pumps add winter load.

    17 New York utilities report meters to EIA-861: 74.1% of 7,608,706 home meters are smart (AMI), 3 offer a home time-of-use rate and 181,494 homes are on dynamic pricing.

    New York counties by electric heating

    Largest electric share first, then the smallest; 20 counties.

    New York countyNew York residentsNew York electric heatNew York utility gasNew York propaneNew York median income
    Clinton County78,96134%12%8%$69,208
    New York County1,627,78828%49%2%$104,553
    Tompkins County102,87926%46%12%$73,012
    Albany County315,37422%65%3%$83,149
    Putnam County97,98822%10%6%$127,405
    Jefferson County116,13022%40%17%$64,978
    Yates County24,63721%28%26%$67,521
    Essex County37,07720%4%17%$70,215
    Onondaga County471,61120%70%3%$74,740
    Monroe County754,06819%75%2%$74,409
    Washington County60,88311%23%15%$72,342
    Tioga County48,10611%32%15%$71,791
    Rockland County338,93610%84%2%$110,631
    Fulton County52,78710%39%13%$62,615
    Queens County2,330,1249%74%3%$84,961
    Suffolk County1,525,6809%41%4%$128,329
    Erie County950,0448%87%2%$71,175
    Lewis County26,6188%18%22%$68,329
    Nassau County1,388,1387%62%2%$143,408
    Richmond County492,7346%85%2%$98,290

    New York month by month

    MonthNew York electricity ¢/kWhNew York gas $/McfHeat pump $/MMBtuGas furnace $/MMBtuNew York break-even COP
    Jul 202629.90$30.86$29.2$31.42.79
    Jun 202629.49$27.01$28.8$27.43.15
    May 202629.93$22.74$29.2$23.13.80
    Apr 202629.45$21.15$28.8$21.54.02
    Mar 202628.55$18.90$27.9$19.24.36
    Feb 202629.99$16.42$29.3$16.75.27
    Jan 202628.37$16.01$27.7$16.35.11
    Dec 202527.39$16.06$26.8$16.34.92
    Nov 202526.42$17.95$25.8$18.24.25
    Oct 202526.95$23.88$26.3$24.33.26
    Sep 202527.23$26.61$26.6$27.02.95
    Aug 202526.67$29.35$26.1$29.82.62
    Jul 202526.22$28.83$25.6$29.32.62
    Jun 202526.55$23.90$25.9$24.33.20
    May 202526.69$23.27$26.1$23.63.31
    Apr 202525.69$18.26$25.1$18.64.06
    Mar 202525.45$16.10$24.9$16.44.56
    Feb 202526.22$14.50$25.6$14.75.22
    Jan 202525.34$14.45$24.8$14.75.06

    Heating season

    A normal year in New York brings 6,495 heating degree-days and 486 cooling degree-days (1991 to 2020). Months above 300 heating degree-days in a normal year: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec. 2025 had 5,918, 9% below normal; the highest of 2015 to 2025 was 6,125 in 2019.

    New York degree-days by year

    Heating and cooling degree-days, New York, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
    New York yearHeating (HDD)Cooling (CDD)Normal HDDNormal CDD
    201560607336495486
    201655408016495486
    201756055876495486
    201860388036495486
    201961256606495486
    202054767696495486
    202155177466495486
    202258497586495486
    202352066286495486
    202452557646495486
    202559187216495486

    NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for New York, 2015 to 2025, pulled 2 Oct 2026.

    CSV

    Heating degree-days by month

    Heating degree-days by month, New York: 12 rows
    Month2025Normal
    Jan12101227
    Feb10171087
    Mar722930
    Apr466567
    May216263
    Jun1348
    Jul07
    Aug1721
    Sep67113
    Oct344416
    Nov714727
    Dec11321089

    NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for New York by month, 2025.

    CSV
    New York, 2025 by month: 12 rows
    MonthHDD 2025HDD normalCDD 2025CDD normal
    Jan1,2101,22700
    Feb1,0171,08700
    Mar72293000
    Apr46656700
    May2162631611
    Jun134814979
    Jul07328198
    Aug1721154158
    Sep671137139
    Oct34441631
    Nov71472700
    Dec1,1321,08900

    NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for New York, 2025 by month.

    CSV

    Analyst note

    Electric heating stands out in New York: 14.4% of 7,668,956 homes, rank 41 of 45. Main heating fuel in New York is utility gas (59% of homes); electricity heats 14% and utility gas 59%. Since 2024 electricity moved +8.0% and gas +6.0%; in 2026 to date power is +13.0% and gas +9.9% on a year earlier. A COP 3.0 heat pump trails a furnace here by $7.92 per MMBtu; the break-even COP of 4.33 ranks 38 of 45. The most electric counties of New York with 20,000+ residents are led by Clinton County at 34% of homes. A normal New York year has 6,495 heating degree-days, and 2025 had 5,918, so heating demand ran 9% below the 1991 to 2020 normal.

    States with a similar break-even

    State near New YorkBreak-even COP near New YorkGas, $ per MMBtuHeat pump, $ per MMBtu
    California4.26$22.36$31.79
    New Mexico4.42$9.99$14.73
    Idaho4.43$7.81$11.55
    Montana4.16$9.13$12.68
    Minnesota4.16$11.16$15.45
    Illinois4.54$11.43$17.28

    Questions on heating in New York

    How electric is heating in New York?

    14.4% of 7,668,956 homes, 1,104,384 in all, ranks 41 of 45 states; 0 of 62 counties are over half electric.

    Is a heat pump cheaper than gas in New York?

    No on fuel cost: $25.78 per MMBtu against $17.86 for gas, break-even COP 4.33.

    Which New York county has the most electric heating?

    Clinton County: 34% of 33,276 homes among counties with 20,000+ residents, median income $69,208.

    What share of New York homes heat with electricity?

    14% of 7,668,956 occupied homes in ACS 2023, against 59% with utility gas.

    Where does New York rank on heat pump cost?

    42 of 45 at $25.78 per MMBtu; North Dakota is lowest at $11.54.

    Is New York a winter or summer electricity state?

    Summer use runs +53% over spring and fall, winter +36%: cooling drives the load.

    Did gas or electricity get more expensive in New York in 2026?

    January to Jul: electricity +13.0%, gas +9.9% on a year earlier.

    How much generating capacity does New York have?

    43,916 MW operable in 2025, 3,354 MW under construction, 3,269 MW planned (EIA-860).

    How many New York homes have smart meters?

    74.1% of 7,608,706 home meters, 3 of 17 reporting utilities offer time-of-use.

    More on New York

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    With electricity at 26.39 cents per kWh and natural gas at $17.58 per Mcf in 2025, one MMBtu of heat costs $17.86 from a gas furnace, $25.78 from a heat pump and $77.34…