Guide · Running costs
Heat pump vs gas boiler running costs
The honest comparison, including the cases where gas is still cheaper.
For a UK home needing 12,000 kWh of heat a year, a 90%-efficient gas boiler costs about £880 a year at 6.6p/kWh, while a heat pump with a SCOP of 3.8 costs about £850 a year at 27p/kWh (Ofgem price cap rates, 2026). On a dedicated heat pump tariff with cheaper off-peak units, the heat pump figure typically drops to £550–£700.
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The break-even efficiency
With electricity priced around four times gas per kWh, a heat pump needs a SCOP of roughly 3.5 or better to match a modern condensing boiler on a standard tariff. Well-designed systems in insulated homes routinely reach 3.5–4.5; poorly designed systems in leaky homes can sit at 2.5–3.0, where gas remains cheaper.
Where the heat pump pulls ahead
- On a heat pump tariff with off-peak unit rates.
- With solar PV and a diverter or battery shifting daytime generation into heating.
- In homes with low flow temperatures from upsized emitters.
- Where the alternative fuel is oil or LPG rather than mains gas — the gap is much wider there.
Where gas still wins
- Uninsulated solid-wall homes running high flow temperatures.
- Undersized or oversized systems that short-cycle.
- Standard variable tariffs with no off-peak element.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a heat pump cheaper to run than gas in 2026?
- Broadly comparable on a standard tariff at SCOP 3.5+, and clearly cheaper on a dedicated heat pump tariff or when replacing oil or LPG.
- What SCOP do I need to beat gas?
- About 3.5 on standard price-capped rates; lower if you are on an off-peak heat pump tariff.
- Do heat pumps save money if I have solar panels?
- Yes — self-consumed solar electricity displaces imported units, and shoulder-season heating overlaps well with UK solar generation.
- Ofgem — UK energy regulator — current electricity unit rates and standing charges.
- Energy Saving Trust — Heat pump efficiency, running cost and SCOP benchmarks (UK).
- Nesta — How to Heat 28 Million UK Homes — Independent research on heat pump deployment and running costs.
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