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AI insights are recommendations. Consult a certified energy assessor for accurate figures for your home.

Heat Pump Running Cost Calculator

How much does your heat pump cost to run each year — and does it actually save money compared to your old heating system? Enter your home size, heat pump COP and energy prices to see the exact numbers.

Quick Start

Step 1. Enter your home size
floor area in m² or ft² and typical heating need per m²
Step 2. Set your heat pump COP
find it on your unit's data plate or installer spec sheet
Step 3. Add your old heating
choose gas, oil or direct electric and enter your tariff
Step 4. See results
annual cost, savings vs old system and payback period

Tip: Not sure about your heating need per m²? Check your energy bills from last winter — divide total heating kWh by your floor area. Or use the hints next to the input field for typical values by insulation level.

Settings

Your Home

Total heated floor area of your home.
Typical: well-insulated 50–80 kWh/m²/yr, average 100–140 kWh/m²/yr, poor insulation 180–250 kWh/m²/yr
Heat Pump
Air-source: 2.5–4.5. Ground-source: 3.5–5.0. Find on your unit's data plate or installer spec.
Your current electricity unit rate. Check your energy bill.

Compare With Old Heating

What were you heating with before the heat pump? We use this to calculate your annual saving.

Electricity, gas or oil unit rate. Check old bills.
Updates automatically when you change fuel type above.

Installation Cost & Projection

Full installed cost including unit, labour and any pipework. Used to calculate payback period.
Heat pump running costs explained: COP, seasonal efficiency and how to compare heating systems

How much does a heat pump cost to run?

A heat pump's running cost depends on three things: how much heat your home needs, how efficiently the heat pump delivers that heat (its COP), and the price of electricity in your area. Unlike gas or oil boilers, heat pumps run on electricity — but they deliver 2–5 units of heat for every unit of electricity they consume.

Understanding COP and SCOP

COP (Coefficient of Performance) measures how many kWh of heat a heat pump delivers per kWh of electricity used. A COP of 3.0 means 3 kWh of heat for 1 kWh of electricity. SCOP (Seasonal COP) is the average COP across a whole heating season — accounting for cold snaps when efficiency drops and mild days when it rises. SCOP is the more realistic figure for annual cost calculations.

Typical SCOP values by heat pump type

Air-source heat pumps typically achieve SCOP of 2.5–4.5 in European climates. The higher end is in mild-winter countries like the UK, Netherlands and Denmark. Colder climates (Scandinavia, Canada, Northern US) see lower SCOPs, often 2.5–3.5. Ground-source (geothermal) heat pumps are more stable, typically achieving SCOP 3.5–5.0 year-round because ground temperature stays relatively constant.

Heat pump vs gas boiler: the break-even calculation

For a heat pump to cost the same to run as a gas boiler, its electricity cost (price / COP) must equal the gas cost (price / efficiency). At electricity €0.28/kWh and gas €0.08/kWh with a 90% efficient boiler, the break-even COP is 0.28 / (0.08 / 0.90) = 3.15. Any heat pump achieving SCOP above 3.15 is cheaper to run than that gas boiler in this example.

Factors that affect heat pump running cost

Insulation quality has the biggest impact — a poorly insulated home with high heat demand costs much more to heat regardless of system efficiency. Time-of-use electricity tariffs can significantly reduce running costs if the heat pump is scheduled to run during off-peak hours. Underfloor heating allows heat pumps to operate at lower flow temperatures, which improves COP by 15–30% compared to radiator systems.

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