Gas vs Electric Heating Cost in Delaware
In Delaware, a 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation costs an estimated $1,293.60 a year to heat with a 92% gas furnace, $4,185.62 with electric resistance heat and $1,494.87 with a heat pump. At these prices gas is the cheapest of the three, $201.27 a year under a heat pump.
State data
What Delaware pays
- Electricity
- 18.5¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, July 2026 (data as of 2026-09-28)
- Natural gas
- $1.54/thermEIA, residential natural gas price ($/Mcf ÷ 10.37) · EIA 2025 annual average (data as of 2026-09-28)
- Heating degree-days
- 4,600 °F-days (base 65 °F)NOAA CPC, 1991–2020 normals
- Climate zone
- 4 (IECC 2021)DOE/PNNL · heat pump seasonal COP used: 2.8
At 18.5¢/kWh, Delaware has the 19th-highest electricity rate among the 50 states and DC. Residential gas in Delaware is $1.54/therm, 4% above the US average of $1.48/therm. A winter of 4,600 heating degree-days means the 2,000 sq ft example in Delaware needs about 77.3 MMBtu of heat a year.
Prices are statewide averages. Type the rate and gas price from your own bill into the calculator above to replace them.
Gas vs electric heat
B04Scenario A
Sets the electricity rate. Pick US average if you're not sure.
From EIA for Delaware. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 18.5¢/kWh · Delaware · EIA, July 2026 · gas $1.54/therm (EIA 2025 annual) · 4,600 heating degree-days · climate zone 4 (data as of 2026-09-28) ·
On the furnace label: 0.80 older, 0.90–0.98 condensing.
Gas furnace costs less per year by
Electric resistance: $4,185.62 a year · Gas furnace: $1,293.60 a year, for 77.3 MMBtu of heat.
- Yearly heating load
- 77.3 MMBtu
- Electric resistance, $ per MMBtu
- $54.16
- Gas furnace, $ per MMBtu
- $16.74
- Electric resistance, per year
- $4,185.62
- Gas furnace, per year
- $1,293.60
- Difference per year (Gas furnace − Electric resistance)
- −$2,892.02
- Seasonal heat pump COP used
- 2.8
- Prices used
- electricity 18.5¢/kWh · gas $1.54/therm · propane $3.20/gal · oil $3.70/gal
- Heat pump, per year (for reference)
- $1,494.87
Cost by month, in season only
The yearly cost spread across the months using a typical heating degree-day pattern from NOAA 1991–2020 normals. Months outside the season show $0.
Estimate. Formula and sources are under “How it works”. Change any input; the result updates as you type.
2026 note: The federal 25C and 25D tax credits ended for installations after Dec 31, 2025. Our numbers use 2026 rules. State rebates, HEAR/HOMES programs and utility programs may still apply.
Worked example
Worked example: 2,000 sq ft in Delaware
A 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation in Delaware needs about 77.3 MMBtu of heat a year (4,600 heating degree-days). At $1.54/therm in a 92% furnace, gas delivers that heat at $16.74 per MMBtu; resistance heat at 18.5¢/kWh costs $54.16, and a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.8 (zone 4) costs $19.34. The year comes to $1,293.60 on gas, $4,185.62 on resistance heat and $1,494.87 on a heat pump. Gas is the cheapest to run here, by $201.27 a year over a heat pump.
Load = sq ft × 0.35 × heating degree-days × 24 ÷ 1,000,000. Gas $/MMBtu = $/therm ÷ 0.1 ÷ 0.92. Resistance $/MMBtu = $/kWh × 293.07. Heat pump = resistance ÷ COP.
Questions
FAQ
Which is cheaper in Delaware, gas or electric heat?
Electric resistance heat is the most expensive of the three in Delaware: $4,185.62 a year for the 2,000 sq ft example, $2,892.02 more than gas. Between gas ($1,293.60) and a heat pump ($1,494.87), gas is cheaper here: $16.74 per MMBtu of heat against $19.34 for a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.8. These are estimates at 18.5¢/kWh and $1.54/therm; your bill's prices can change the answer.
How much gas does a furnace use in Delaware?
About 840 therms a year for a 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation and a 92% furnace, at Delaware's 4,600 heating degree-days. That averages 70 therms a month over 12 months, but almost all of it is burned in the heating months. At $1.54/therm, the year costs an estimated $1,293.60.
Electric furnace vs gas furnace cost in Delaware?
An electric furnace is resistance heat: every kWh gives 3,412 BTU. At 18.5¢/kWh, that heat costs $54.16 per MMBtu in Delaware, against $16.74 from a 92% gas furnace at $1.54/therm, 3.2 times as much. For the 2,000 sq ft example that's $4,185.62 a year against $1,293.60.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same calculator, same house, each state's own prices and winter:
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