Gas vs Electric Heating Cost in West Virginia
In West Virginia, a 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation costs an estimated $1,165.77 a year to heat with a 92% gas furnace, $3,854.74 with electric resistance heat and $1,541.90 with a heat pump. At these prices gas is the cheapest of the three, $376.12 a year under a heat pump.
State data
What West Virginia pays
- Electricity
- 16.3¢/kWhEIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A · EIA, August 2026 (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Natural gas
- $1.33/thermEIA, residential natural gas price ($/Mcf ÷ 10.37) · EIA 2025 annual average (data as of 2026-10-25)
- Heating degree-days
- 4,800 °F-days (base 65 °F)NOAA CPC, 1991–2020 normals
- Climate zone
- 5 (IECC 2021)DOE/PNNL · heat pump seasonal COP used: 2.5
At 16.3¢/kWh, West Virginia has the 27th-highest electricity rate among the 50 states and DC. Residential gas in West Virginia is $1.33/therm, 10% below the US average of $1.48/therm. A winter of 4,800 heating degree-days means the 2,000 sq ft example in West Virginia needs about 80.6 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.
How homes here heat
How homes in West Virginia heat
- Main heating fuel
- Natural gas 43% · electricity 45% · propane not reported · fuel oil not reportedEIA RECS 2020, state tables · share of homes
- Main heating equipment
- Furnace 54% · central heat pump 20% · boiler not reportedEIA RECS 2020, state tables · share of homes
- Homes using a secondary heater
- 52%EIA RECS 2020, state tables
- Household energy spend
- $1,976 a year, of which $748 on space heating (37%)EIA RECS 2020, state tables · average per household
- Share of home energy that is space heating
- 82% of natural gas use · 26% of electricity useEIA RECS 2020, state tables
West Virginia is split almost down the middle between electric and gas heat. In the 2020 survey, 45% of homes (about 320,000) named electricity as their main heating fuel and 43% (about 300,000) named natural gas, against 34% and 51% for the country. That puts West Virginia the 15th-highest of the 51 states for electric heating. Propane and fuel oil are too rare here for the survey to report a share.
Heat pumps are more common than in most of the country. 20% of homes, about 140,000, run a central heat pump, against 13% nationally, the 12th-highest of the 33 states that report it. Furnaces still lead at 54%, and 52% of homes also run a secondary heater, against 42% for the US.
The number that sets West Virginia apart is what heat costs a household. The survey puts space heating at $748 a year, the 9th-highest of the 51 states, and at 37% of a $1,976 energy bill, the 6th-highest share in the country and well above the US figure of 26%. Heating also dominates each fuel: it takes 82% of household gas use and 26% of electricity use, against 68% and 12% nationally. In West Virginia, the heating season is where the energy budget goes.
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 West Virginia. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 16.3¢/kWh · West Virginia · EIA, August 2026 · gas $1.33/therm (EIA 2025 annual) · 4,800 heating degree-days · climate zone 5 (data as of 2026-10-25) ·
On the furnace label: 0.80 older, 0.90–0.98 condensing.
Gas furnace costs less per year by
Electric resistance: $3,854.74 a year · Gas furnace: $1,165.77 a year, for 80.6 MMBtu of heat.
- Yearly heating load
- 80.6 MMBtu
- Electric resistance, $ per MMBtu
- $47.80
- Gas furnace, $ per MMBtu
- $14.46
- Electric resistance, per year
- $3,854.74
- Gas furnace, per year
- $1,165.77
- Difference per year (Gas furnace − Electric resistance)
- −$2,688.97
- Seasonal heat pump COP used
- 2.5
- Prices used
- electricity 16.3¢/kWh · gas $1.33/therm · propane $3.00/gal · oil $3.60/gal
- Heat pump, per year (for reference)
- $1,541.90
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 West Virginia
A 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation in West Virginia needs about 80.6 MMBtu of heat a year (4,800 heating degree-days). At $1.33/therm in a 92% furnace, gas delivers that heat at $14.46 per MMBtu; resistance heat at 16.3¢/kWh costs $47.80, and a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5 (zone 5) costs $19.12. The year comes to $1,165.77 on gas, $3,854.74 on resistance heat and $1,541.90 on a heat pump. Gas is the cheapest to run here, by $376.12 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.
What the numbers say
What the numbers say in West Virginia
Both fuels are priced below the national average here: electricity at 16.3¢/kWh is 10% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh, and gas at $1.33/therm is 10% below the US average of $1.48/therm. With neither price out of line, the decision comes down to winter and efficiency, and the winter is a real one: 4,800 heating degree-days, 7% more than the US average of 4,500, in climate zone 5, where the estimate assumes a seasonal heat pump COP of 2.5. At those numbers the example house comes out cheaper with gas.
The figure to hold your bill against is the tie rate. A heat pump matches a 92% gas furnace only at an electricity rate of about 12.3¢/kWh, against a state average of 16.3¢/kWh. A tariff near or below that tie rate, or a gas price well above $1.33/therm, moves the answer toward the heat pump; at the averages, gas keeps the edge.
The comparison changes for the large share of homes that already heat with electricity. Baseboards and electric furnaces are resistance heat, which costs 3.3 times as much as gas per unit of heat at these prices. For those homes the relevant choice is resistance versus heat pump, and there the heat pump wins on running cost at any rate, because at a COP of 2.5 it delivers the same heat from a fraction of the kilowatt-hours.
The survey's $748 and the calculator's figures measure different things: the survey averages every home and fuel, apartments included, while the calculator prices one 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation. That the survey average already ranks the 9th-highest says heat is a large cost in West Virginia before any fuel comparison begins.
Type the rate and gas price from your own bill into the calculator above. With a heating load this size, the attic insulation calculator is worth a look before any equipment decision, and heat pump vs furnace compares the two systems over their life. For driving costs here, see the West Virginia EV page.
Questions
FAQ
Which is cheaper in West Virginia, gas or electric heat?
Electric resistance heat is the most expensive of the three in West Virginia: $3,854.74 a year for the 2,000 sq ft example, $2,688.97 more than gas. Between gas ($1,165.77) and a heat pump ($1,541.90), gas is cheaper here: $14.46 per MMBtu of heat against $19.12 for a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5. These are estimates at 16.3¢/kWh and $1.33/therm; your bill's prices can change the answer.
How much gas does a furnace use in West Virginia?
About 877 therms a year for a 2,000 sq ft house with average insulation and a 92% furnace, at West Virginia's 4,800 heating degree-days. That averages 73 therms a month over 12 months, but almost all of it is burned in the heating months. At $1.33/therm, the year costs an estimated $1,165.77.
Electric furnace vs gas furnace cost in West Virginia?
An electric furnace is resistance heat: every kWh gives 3,412 BTU. At 16.3¢/kWh, that heat costs $47.80 per MMBtu in West Virginia, against $14.46 from a 92% gas furnace at $1.33/therm, 3.3 times as much. For the 2,000 sq ft example that's $3,854.74 a year against $1,165.77.
Why do West Virginia households spend so much on heating?
The survey puts space heating at $748 a year per household and 37% of the energy bill, against $519 and 26% nationally. Prices do not explain it: electricity is 10% below the US average of 18.2¢/kWh and gas 10% below the US average of $1.48/therm. The page data point to the winter instead, with 4,800 heating degree-days, 7% more than the US average of 4,500. A bigger heating load raises the bill on every fuel, so insulation and a thermostat setback matter here whichever system you have.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than baseboard heat in West Virginia?
Yes, by a wide margin. Baseboard heat is resistance heat, and at 16.3¢/kWh it costs 3.3 times what a gas furnace pays per unit of heat. A heat pump at the zone 5 seasonal COP of 2.5 turns each kilowatt-hour into 2.5 units of heat, so it runs far cheaper than baseboards on the same rate. Between a heat pump and gas, the estimate favors gas at current prices. The heat pump payback page turns a yearly gap into years.
Bordering states
Nearby states
Same calculator, same house, each state's own prices and winter:
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