Comparing home heating fuels on what actually matters — the cost to deliver a million BTU of heat into the house — natural gas is currently cheapest at about $20.81 per MMBtu and electric resistance the most expensive at $53.75. Across a typical 60 MMBtu season that gap is roughly $1,977. Prices are official EIA averages; change any of them below to match your own quotes.
Seeded with EIA national averages — replace any with your own quote.
Formula: $ per MMBtu delivered = price per unit ÷ MMBtu per unit ÷ efficiency. Heating values: natural gas 1.036 MMBtu/Mcf, propane 0.0915 MMBtu/gal (91,500 BTU), heating oil 0.1385 MMBtu/gal (138,500 BTU), electricity 0.003412 MMBtu/kWh (3,412 BTU). Heat-pump "efficiency" above 100% reflects its coefficient of performance — it moves heat rather than creating it.
| Fuel | $ / MMBtu | Per season | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas cheapest | $20.81 | $1,248 | |
| Propane | $31.77 | $1,906 | |
| Heating oil | $47.02 | $2,821 | |
| Electric resistance | $53.75 | $3,225 | |
| Heat pump | $21.50 | $1,290 |
Enter at least one fuel price to compare.
Propane and heating oil are EIA residential delivered prices for the week of 2026-03-30 — note that this is 151 days ago, because the EIA surveys heating fuels weekly only during the October–March heating season, so these are the last published heating-season prices rather than current ones. Natural gas is the EIA residential delivered price for 2026-05 ($/Mcf — the retail rate households pay, not the Henry Hub wholesale price). Electricity is the average residential rate for June 2026. See propane prices by state, heating oil prices and electricity rates by state.
On current national average prices, natural gas is cheapest at about $20.81 per million BTU of delivered heat, while electric resistance is the most expensive at $53.75 — roughly 2.6 times more. Over a typical 60 MMBtu heating season that is a difference of about $1,977. Local prices vary enormously, so enter your own rates above.
Because a gallon of propane and a gallon of heating oil contain very different amounts of energy — about 91,500 BTU versus 138,500 BTU. Comparing headline prices per gallon makes propane look cheap when it often is not. Cost per million BTU of delivered heat is the only fair comparison, and it also folds in how efficiently each appliance burns the fuel.
A furnace converts fuel to heat, so it can never exceed 100% efficiency. A heat pump does not create heat — it moves it from outside air into the house, delivering roughly 2.5 to 3.5 units of heat per unit of electricity consumed. That effective 250–350% "efficiency" is why heat pumps can undercut gas even where electricity costs more per BTU. Their advantage shrinks in very cold weather as the outdoor coil has less heat to harvest.
Around 60 million BTU per heating season is a reasonable middle estimate for a US single-family home, but the range is enormous — a small, well-insulated house in a mild climate might need 30 MMBtu while a large or draughty home in the north can exceed 150. Your past bills are the best guide; adjust the season figure above to match.