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 Wisconsin: electricity vs gas

With electricity at 18.16 cents per kWh and natural gas at $10.74 per Mcf in 2025, one MMBtu of heat costs $10.91 from a gas furnace, $17.74 from a heat pump and $53.22 from resistance heating in Wisconsin.

Your Wisconsin heating cost

    Wisconsin inputs: 18.16 ¢ per kWh, $10.74 per Mcf, fuel only; the need is an illustration. Method.

    The numbers

    Electricity 2025
    18.16 ¢/kWhrank 12 of 45 states by price
    Natural gas 2025
    $10.74 per Mcfrank 38 of 45 states by gas price
    Gas furnace
    $10.91 per MMBtu95% efficiency, rank 38 of 45
    Heat pump
    $17.74 per MMBturank 34 of 45 states, COP 3.0 assumed
    Electric resistance
    $53.22 per MMBtu4.9 times a furnace
    Break-even COP
    4.88a heat pump above it beats gas; rank 43 of 45
    Annual cost at 50 MMBtu
    $887 heat pumpfuel only
    Homes heated by electricity
    17%65% utility gas, 12% propane, 2% oil
    Electricity since 2024
    +5.7%
    Gas since 2024
    +5.9%
    2026 to date
    power +5.4%, gas +14.7%January to Jul against 2025
    Winter load
    +36% over spring and fallsummer +41%: a summer-peaking state
    Heating degree-days, normal year
    7,9341991 to 2020; 2025 had 7,348, rank 8 of 42 states by normal HDD
    Occupied homes in Wisconsin (ACS 2023)
    2,446,028423,487 electric, 1,589,986 utility gas, 290,514 propane, 37,273 oil; 0 of 72 counties are over half electric
    Generating capacity in Wisconsin
    19,148 MWEIA-860 2025; 888 MW under construction

    Wisconsin charts

    One MMBtu of heat in Wisconsin

    $10.91 gas, $17.74 heat pump, $53.22 resistance.

    $ per MMBtu

    • Electric resistance53.2
    • Heat pump, COP 3.017.7
    • Gas furnace, 95%10.9

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

    CSV

    Prices since 2015, Wisconsin

    Electricity $53.22 and gas $10 per MMBtu of energy in 2025.

    Fuel cost per MMBtu, Wisconsin, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
    YearWisconsin electricityWisconsin gas
    201541.48.2
    201641.27.8
    201742.18.1
    201841.17.8
    201941.67.4
    202042.07.3
    202142.69.4
    202245.810.9
    202349.510.5
    202450.39.8
    202553.210.4

    11 rows from EIA retail sales and natural gas prices.

    CSV

    How Wisconsin heats

    17% electric.

    % of homes

    • Electricity17.3
    • Utility gas65.0
    • Propane11.9
    • Fuel oil1.5
    • Wood2.8

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

    CSV

    Break-even COP by month, Wisconsin

    2.96 to 5.72 across the months shown.

    Break-even COP by month, Wisconsin: 12 rows
    Month20252026
    Jan5.194.67
    Feb5.053.68
    Mar5.175.72
    Apr4.964.50
    May4.964.83
    Jun3.323.11
    Jul3.142.96
    Aug3.21No data
    Sep3.37No data
    Oct5.06No data
    Nov4.88No data
    Dec4.70No data

    12 rows from EIA retail sales.

    CSV

    How Wisconsin homes heat

    Wisconsin main fuelWisconsin homesWisconsin shareWisconsin rank among states
    Electricity423,48717.3%38 of 45
    Utility gas1,589,98665.0%7 of 45
    Propane290,51411.9%7 of 45
    Fuel oil37,2731.5%13 of 45
    Wood67,7552.8%12 of 45

    Wisconsin has 19,148 MW of operable generating capacity (EIA-860, 2025), largest in natural gas at 7,966 MW; 888 MW is under construction and 3,983 MW planned, which matters if heat pumps add winter load.

    81 Wisconsin utilities report meters to EIA-861: 89.8% of 2,892,890 home meters are smart (AMI), 50 offer a home time-of-use rate and 50,196 homes are on dynamic pricing.

    Wisconsin counties by electric heating

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

    Wisconsin countyWisconsin residentsWisconsin electric heatWisconsin utility gasWisconsin propaneWisconsin median income
    La Crosse County120,26228%61%7%$70,704
    Eau Claire County106,32826%57%10%$71,834
    Dane County564,77724%69%5%$88,108
    Dunn County45,34922%34%35%$71,785
    Winnebago County171,35720%71%5%$72,873
    Brown County269,42520%73%3%$77,490
    Washington County137,32019%69%7%$95,851
    Waukesha County409,04018%77%2%$104,100
    Dodge County88,81818%58%16%$73,992
    Rock County163,94418%69%8%$74,390
    Oconto County39,32910%46%32%$75,886
    Vernon County30,91510%34%34%$69,556
    Marinette County41,90710%48%28%$63,401
    Waushara County24,75210%39%39%$64,968
    Shawano County40,92710%46%30%$67,032
    Vilas County23,4109%48%37%$67,132
    Manitowoc County81,3149%73%12%$68,611
    Oneida County38,0079%62%23%$69,621
    Adams County20,9288%29%53%$59,153
    Kewaunee County20,6218%58%22%$80,085

    Wisconsin month by month

    MonthWisconsin electricity ¢/kWhWisconsin gas $/McfHeat pump $/MMBtuGas furnace $/MMBtuWisconsin break-even COP
    Jul 202619.06$18.58$18.6$18.92.96
    Jun 202619.56$18.17$19.1$18.53.11
    May 202619.74$11.79$19.3$12.04.83
    Apr 202619.21$12.32$18.8$12.54.50
    Mar 202618.80$9.48$18.4$9.65.72
    Feb 202618.74$14.70$18.3$14.93.68
    Jan 202618.20$11.24$17.8$11.44.67
    Dec 202517.84$10.96$17.4$11.14.70
    Nov 202518.39$10.86$18.0$11.04.88
    Oct 202518.37$10.47$17.9$10.65.06
    Sep 202518.73$16.01$18.3$16.33.37
    Aug 202518.52$16.64$18.1$16.93.21
    Jul 202518.25$16.74$17.8$17.03.14
    Jun 202518.52$16.09$18.1$16.33.32
    May 202518.94$11.01$18.5$11.24.96
    Apr 202518.21$10.58$17.8$10.74.96
    Mar 202517.75$9.91$17.3$10.15.17
    Feb 202517.41$9.94$17.0$10.15.05
    Jan 202517.36$9.65$17.0$9.85.19

    Heating season

    A normal year in Wisconsin brings 7,934 heating degree-days and 478 cooling degree-days (1991 to 2020). Months above 300 heating degree-days in a normal year: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec. 2025 had 7,348, 7% below normal; the highest of 2015 to 2025 was 8,025 in 2019.

    Wisconsin degree-days by year

    Heating and cooling degree-days, Wisconsin, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
    Wisconsin yearHeating (HDD)Cooling (CDD)Normal HDDNormal CDD
    201572144697934478
    201668506427934478
    201770964667934478
    201877976247934478
    201980255167934478
    202071866057934478
    202169346707934478
    202277475367934478
    202366475637934478
    202462935877934478
    202573485897934478

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

    CSV

    Heating degree-days by month

    Heating degree-days by month, Wisconsin: 12 rows
    Month2025Normal
    Jan14891520
    Feb12711283
    Mar8431067
    Apr613621
    May332314
    Jun4785
    Jul922
    Aug4448
    Sep100175
    Oct367513
    Nov843927
    Dec13901359

    NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Wisconsin by month, 2025.

    CSV
    Wisconsin, 2025 by month: 12 rows
    MonthHDD 2025HDD normalCDD 2025CDD normal
    Jan1,4891,52000
    Feb1,2711,28300
    Mar8431,06700
    Apr61362100
    May3323141725
    Jun478514097
    Jul922237186
    Aug4448132142
    Sep1001755426
    Oct36751392
    Nov84392700
    Dec1,3901,35900

    NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Wisconsin, 2025 by month.

    CSV

    Analyst note

    Break-even COP 4.88 is Wisconsin's most unusual heating number, rank 3 of 45. Main heating fuel in Wisconsin is utility gas (65% of homes); electricity heats 17% and utility gas 65%. Since 2024 electricity moved +5.7% and gas +5.9%; in 2026 to date power is +5.4% and gas +14.7% on a year earlier. A COP 3.0 heat pump trails a furnace here by $6.83 per MMBtu; the break-even COP of 4.88 ranks 43 of 45. The most electric counties of Wisconsin with 20,000+ residents are led by La Crosse County at 28% of homes. A normal Wisconsin year has 7,934 heating degree-days, and 2025 had 7,348, so heating demand ran 7% below the 1991 to 2020 normal.

    States with a similar break-even

    State near WisconsinBreak-even COP near WisconsinGas, $ per MMBtuHeat pump, $ per MMBtu
    New Jersey4.59$14.44$22.11
    Illinois4.54$11.43$17.28
    Michigan5.29$11.10$19.55
    Idaho4.43$7.81$11.55
    New Mexico4.42$9.99$14.73
    New York4.33$17.86$25.78

    Questions on heating in Wisconsin

    Why is the Wisconsin break-even COP low?

    4.88 puts Wisconsin at 3 of 45 states: electricity runs 4.9 times the cost of furnace heat per MMBtu.

    Is a heat pump cheaper than gas in Wisconsin?

    No on fuel cost: $17.74 per MMBtu against $10.91 for gas, break-even COP 4.88.

    Which Wisconsin county has the most electric heating?

    La Crosse County: 28% of 50,543 homes among counties with 20,000+ residents, median income $70,704.

    What share of Wisconsin homes heat with electricity?

    17% of 2,446,028 occupied homes in ACS 2023, against 65% with utility gas.

    Where does Wisconsin rank on heat pump cost?

    34 of 45 at $17.74 per MMBtu; North Dakota is lowest at $11.54.

    Is Wisconsin a winter or summer electricity state?

    Summer use runs +41% over spring and fall, winter +36%: cooling drives the load.

    Did gas or electricity get more expensive in Wisconsin in 2026?

    January to Jul: electricity +5.4%, gas +14.7% on a year earlier.

    How much generating capacity does Wisconsin have?

    19,148 MW operable in 2025, 888 MW under construction, 3,983 MW planned (EIA-860).

    How many Wisconsin homes have smart meters?

    89.8% of 2,892,890 home meters, 50 of 81 reporting utilities offer time-of-use.

    More on Wisconsin

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    With electricity at 18.16 cents per kWh and natural gas at $10.74 per Mcf in 2025, one MMBtu of heat costs $10.91 from a gas furnace, $17.74 from a heat pump and $53.22…