What does it cost to heat?
Compare a heat pump against baseboards and against gas, at the rates BC Hydro and FortisBC actually charge. Every rate and assumption is published below, so you can check our arithmetic instead of trusting it.
Three questions about the home
Estimated annual heating cost, home built 1960–1990
At the rates and assumptions published below. Gas figures include the FortisBC daily basic charge; a home with no gas appliances at all can drop that charge entirely.
| Floor area | Electric baseboards | Gas furnace, newer | Heat pump |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 sq ft | $1,630 | $710 | $540 |
| 1,200 sq ft | $2,450 | $990 | $820 |
| 1,600 sq ft | $3,270 | $1,260 | $1,090 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $4,090 | $1,540 | $1,360 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $5,110 | $1,890 | $1,700 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $6,130 | $2,230 | $2,040 |
What the numbers actually say
If you heat with electric baseboards, a heat pump is a large and reliable saving. You are going from one unit of heat per unit of electricity to roughly three. Nothing else in home energy pays back as plainly.
If you have a modern gas furnace, the running costs land close together. At today's rates a good heat pump and a good gas furnace cost roughly the same to run on the coast. We would rather tell you that than let you discover it after the install.
Which does not mean switching is wrong — it means the case rests on other things. You also get air conditioning from the same box. You may qualify for rebate support that a repair never earns. If gas heating was your only gas appliance, dropping the service removes a daily charge of its own. And the emissions difference is real.
If you have an older gas furnace, or you are on oil, the saving is usually real. Low efficiency is expensive in any fuel.
This compares running cost only. It does not include what the equipment costs to buy and install, which is the other half of the decision and depends on your building.
The rates we used
Checked against BC Hydro and FortisBC on 22 October 2026. Utility rates change — if this page is old when you read it, verify before relying on it.
- BC Hydro, residential tiered (rate 1101): Step 1 11.87 ¢/kWh, Step 2 14.08 ¢/kWh above 22.1918 kWh per day, daily basic charge 23.44 ¢
- FortisBC residential gas, Mainland: $12.601 per GJ delivered, being cost of gas $1.660 plus delivery $8.469 plus storage and transport $2.472, with a daily basic charge of $0.4216
Heating is treated as the marginal load on top of your normal household use, so the electricity is costed at the Step 2 rate. Costing it at Step 1 would make the electric options look cheaper than they will be in a cold month.
The assumptions
- Heat pump seasonal COP 3.0, a reasonable coastal BC figure for a well-chosen modern unit
- Electric baseboards and electric furnace: 100% — all the electricity becomes heat, and no more
- Gas furnace, 2010 or newer: 95% seasonal efficiency
- Gas furnace, older: 80% seasonal efficiency
- 1,800 equivalent full-load heating hours per year, a coastal BC planning figure
- Design heat load per square foot by building age, as on the sizing tool
Your actual bill depends on how warm you keep the house, how draughty it is, and the weather that year. Treat this as a comparison between options rather than a prediction of your bill.
Want the number for your house?
Tell us about the property and what you heat with now. We will do the load calculation properly and tell you whether the switch is worth it for you.