Heat Pump Running Cost Calculator

About this calculator

A heat pump’s running cost depends on how much heat your home needs and how efficiently the pump turns electricity into that heat, expressed by its seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) — a heat pump with an SCOP of 3.5 delivers 3.5 units of heat for every 1 unit of electricity consumed, averaged across a heating season rather than at one lab-tested condition. The formula is annual running cost = (annual heat demand in kWh ÷ SCOP) × electricity price per kWh, since dividing heat demand by SCOP converts it into the actual electricity consumed.

Homeowners weighing a heat pump against gas or oil heating use this figure to see the real operating cost side by side with their current system, because a heat pump’s efficiency advantage (SCOP well above 1, versus roughly 0.9 for a gas boiler) can offset electricity being priced higher per kWh than gas. The SCOP itself varies with climate and system design — air-source heat pumps in colder climates run a lower SCOP than ground-source systems or the same unit in a milder region.

This calculator takes your annual heat demand, seasonal COP and electricity price and returns the estimated yearly running cost, so you can budget for a heat pump or compare it against your current heating system.