Gas vs Electric Heating Cost in Hawaii
NOAA's 1991–2020 normals give Hawaii 0 heating degree-days, so this calculator's space-heating cost for a 2,000 sq ft house is $0.00 a year on gas, resistance heat or a heat pump. Per unit of heat, Hawaii's prices still rank them: $38.41 per MMBtu from a heat pump, $54.89 from gas at $5.05/therm and $138.28 from resistance heat at 47.2¢/kWh.
State data
What Hawaii pays
- Electricity
- 47.2¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Natural gas
- $5.05/thermEIA, residential natural gas price ($/Mcf ÷ 10.37) · EIA 2025 annual average (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Heating degree-days
- 0 °F-days (base 65 °F)NOAA CPC, 1991–2020 normals
- Climate zone
- 1 (IECC 2021)DOE/PNNL · heat pump seasonal COP used: 3.6
At 47.2¢/kWh, Hawaii has the highest residential electricity rate among the 50 states and DC. At $5.05/therm, Hawaii is in the $2-and-up band for residential gas on this site, 241% above the US average of $1.48/therm. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals give Hawaii 0 heating degree-days, so this calculator's space-heating load there is zero.
Prices are statewide averages. Type the rate and gas price from your own bill into the calculator above to replace them.
How homes here heat
How homes in Hawaii heat
- Main heating fuel
- Natural gas not reported · electricity 5% · propane not reported · fuel oil not reportedEIA RECS 2020, state tables · share of homes
- Main heating equipment
- Furnace not reported · central heat pump not reported · boiler not reportedEIA RECS 2020, state tables · share of homes
- Homes using a secondary heater
- not reportedEIA RECS 2020, state tables
- Household energy spend
- $2,058 a year, of which $99 on space heating (not reported)EIA RECS 2020, state tables · average per household
- Share of home energy that is space heating
- not reported of natural gas use · not reported of electricity useEIA RECS 2020, state tables
Hawaii is the one state where the heating survey has almost nothing to report. Electricity is the main heating fuel for 5% of homes, about 20,000, the lowest share among the 51 states and DC, against 34% for the US. The 2020 survey gives no share for gas, propane or fuel oil, and none for any kind of heating equipment, furnace, boiler or heat pump; it simply does not publish those figures for the state. Nor does it report how much of household electricity or gas goes to heat.
What it does report is spending, and that is where Hawaii differs. Households pay $2,058 a year for energy, the 13th-highest in the country, against $1,884 nationally. Of that, space heating is only $99, the lowest amount among the states and DC, roughly $8 a month averaged across the year. The survey's figure is small but not zero, so some homes do run heat at some point, even if the statewide degree-day normal is 0.
The money goes elsewhere. Water heating costs $569 a year, 23% of the bill against 15% for the US, and air conditioning $638, 18% of it. Either one outspends space heating by a wide margin.
EIA RECS 2020, state tables: shares of all occupied homes in the state and average spending per household in the survey year. "Not reported" means EIA's sample was too small to publish a figure.
Gas vs electric heat
B04Scenario A
Sets the electricity rate. Pick US average if you're not sure.
From EIA for Hawaii. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 47.2¢/kWh · Hawaii · EIA, August 2026 · gas $5.05/therm (EIA 2025 annual) · 0 heating degree-days · climate zone 1 (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
On the furnace label: 0.80 older, 0.90–0.98 condensing.
No space-heating load in Hawaii
Hawaii has 0 heating degree-days in the NOAA 1991–2020 normals, so this model's space-heating load is zero: every option costs $0.00 a year. Per MMBtu of heat, electric resistance costs $138.28 and gas furnace $54.89.
- Yearly heating load
- 0.0 MMBtu
- Electric resistance, $ per MMBtu
- $138.28
- Gas furnace, $ per MMBtu
- $54.89
- Electric resistance, per year
- $0.00
- Gas furnace, per year
- $0.00
- Difference per year (Gas furnace − Electric resistance)
- $0.00
- Seasonal heat pump COP used
- 3.6
- Prices used
- electricity 47.2¢/kWh · gas $5.05/therm · propane $5.00/gal · oil $5.00/gal
- Heat pump, per year (for reference)
- $0.00
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 Hawaii
With 0 heating degree-days in the NOAA normals, the 2,000 sq ft example in Hawaii has a heating load of 0 MMBtu, so the yearly cost is $0.00 on every option. The per-unit prices still apply to any heat you do use: gas at $5.05/therm in a 92% furnace delivers heat at $54.89 per MMBtu, resistance heat at 47.2¢/kWh at $138.28, and a heat pump at seasonal COP 3.6 at $38.41.
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.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in Hawaii
The gas-versus-electric heating question barely exists in Hawaii, but the prices behind it are still worth reading, because they apply to every other job a home does with energy. Electricity costs 47.2¢/kWh, 160% above the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, the highest rate among the states and DC. Gas costs $5.05/therm, 241% above the US average of $1.48/therm, also the highest. Both fuels are expensive; the question is only which delivers heat more cheaply.
On that question a heat pump wins comfortably. In climate zone 1 the calculator uses a seasonal COP of 3.6, and at that efficiency the heat pump stays cheaper than a 92% gas furnace up to an electricity rate of 67.4¢/kWh, against the state average of 47.2¢/kWh. Resistance heat sits at the other end, 2.5 times the cost of gas per unit of heat. The same logic, moving heat instead of making it, is how a heat pump water heater works, and water heating is a line the survey says households here actually pay for. The heat pump water heater calculator prices one at your own rate.
The calculator above takes its heating load from the state's degree-day normal, which is not a field you can change, so a home that does need some heat is better priced room by room with the space heater vs central heat page. A small heater on a few cool evenings is the realistic case, and the per-unit costs above tell you a heat pump, or a reverse-cycle air conditioner, makes that heat for less than a resistance heater does.
The cooling bill is the larger story. At 47.2¢/kWh, the efficiency of an air conditioner matters as much as the efficiency of anything else in the house; the electric bill estimator helps you see where your own kilowatt-hours go.
Questions
FAQ
Which is cheaper in Hawaii, gas or electric heat?
With 0 heating degree-days, the yearly space-heating cost in Hawaii is $0.00 on all three options in this model. Per MMBtu of heat, a heat pump ($38.41) costs less than gas ($54.89) and resistance heat ($138.28).
How much gas does a furnace use in Hawaii?
With 0 heating degree-days in the NOAA 1991–2020 normals, the calculator's heating load for Hawaii is 0, so a furnace would burn no gas for space heating in this model. Water heating and cooking are not part of this estimate.
Electric furnace vs gas furnace cost in Hawaii?
An electric furnace is resistance heat. At 47.2¢/kWh, its heat costs $138.28 per MMBtu in Hawaii, against $54.89 from a 92% gas furnace at $5.05/therm. With 0 heating degree-days, the calculator's yearly heating cost is $0.00 for both.
Do homes in Hawaii need heating at all?
Most of the year, very little. The statewide heating degree-day normal is 0, and the survey puts average space-heating spending at $99 a year, the lowest among the states and DC. Only 5% of homes report electricity as their main heating fuel, and the survey reports no share for any other fuel. A home in a cooler spot may still want a small heat source for some nights.
Why is my energy bill in Hawaii high if I never run the heat?
Because electricity costs 47.2¢/kWh, the highest rate in the country, and the big loads are cooling and hot water. The survey's average household spends $638 a year on air conditioning and $569 on water heating, out of a $2,058 total. The electric bill estimator lets you enter your own appliances and rate.
Compare
States with a similar electricity rate
The 4 states whose electricity rate is closest to Hawaii's 47.2¢/kWh:
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