Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler?

It depends on the heat pump's SCOP and your electricity tariff. At the Oct 2026 price cap cap (24.5p/kWh electricity, 6.2p/kWh gas), a mid-range SCOP of around 4.4 typically saves £250–£450 a year against a 90% gas boiler. A high-efficiency unit (SCOP 5+) saves more, and heat-pump tariffs can push the saving well above £500.

How do I calculate heat pump running costs?

Divide your annual heat demand (kWh) by the heat pump's SCOP to get the electricity used, then multiply by your electricity rate. For example: 12,000 kWh / SCOP 4.4 = 2,727 kWh of electricity, at 24.5p/kWh = about £668 a year. The calculator above does this for you with sensitivity sliders.

What SCOP do I need to beat gas?

At the current price cap, a heat pump needs a SCOP of roughly 2.6–2.8 to match a 90% gas boiler on running cost. Almost every modern air source heat pump (SCOP 3.5–5) beats gas comfortably — the question is by how much. Use the calculator to see your own break-even.

Will a cheap heat-pump tariff lower running costs further?

Yes, significantly. Dedicated heat-pump tariffs like Octopus Cosy, Intelligent Octopus or Agile can bring off-peak electricity to 12–18p/kWh, which pushes a heat pump well below gas even at a modest SCOP. The calculator lets you model this with the electricity-rate slider.

Does the £7,500 grant change the running-cost maths?

The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant doesn't affect running cost per se, but because it cuts the upfront install cost so dramatically (£4,000–£9,000 typical after grant), the payback period on that lower price is much shorter — a heat pump can now pay for its running-cost advantage much faster.

Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler?

It depends on the heat pump's SCOP and your electricity tariff. At the Oct 2026 price cap cap (24.5p/kWh electricity, 6.2p/kWh gas), a mid-range SCOP of around 4.4 typically saves £250–£450 a year against a 90% gas boiler. A high-efficiency unit (SCOP 5+) saves more, and heat-pump tariffs can push the saving well above £500.

How do I calculate heat pump running costs?

Divide your annual heat demand (kWh) by the heat pump's SCOP to get the electricity used, then multiply by your electricity rate. For example: 12,000 kWh / SCOP 4.4 = 2,727 kWh of electricity, at 24.5p/kWh = about £668 a year. The calculator above does this for you with sensitivity sliders.

What SCOP do I need to beat gas?

At the current price cap, a heat pump needs a SCOP of roughly 2.6–2.8 to match a 90% gas boiler on running cost. Almost every modern air source heat pump (SCOP 3.5–5) beats gas comfortably — the question is by how much. Use the calculator to see your own break-even.

Will a cheap heat-pump tariff lower running costs further?

Yes, significantly. Dedicated heat-pump tariffs like Octopus Cosy, Intelligent Octopus or Agile can bring off-peak electricity to 12–18p/kWh, which pushes a heat pump well below gas even at a modest SCOP. The calculator lets you model this with the electricity-rate slider.

Does the £7,500 grant change the running-cost maths?

The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant doesn't affect running cost per se, but because it cuts the upfront install cost so dramatically (£4,000–£9,000 typical after grant), the payback period on that lower price is much shorter — a heat pump can now pay for its running-cost advantage much faster.

Is a heat pump cheaper to run than gas? Calculate it

A transparent, adjustable calculator using live Oct 2026 price cap unit rates — you control the SCOP, boiler efficiency and tariff.

At the Oct 2026 price cap cap, a heat pump with a SCOP of 4.4 typically saves £250–£450 a year against a 90% gas boiler, and a high-efficiency unit (SCOP 5+) or a dedicated heat-pump tariff pushes the annual saving well above £500. Electricity is roughly 4x the price of gas per kWh, so the heat pump only wins because its SCOP multiplies that electricity into 4–5x the heat.

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An MCS-certified installer will model your actual home and tariff — with your £7,500 grant applied to every quote.

Before you pay a penny

You could be £7,500 better off

The government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives every eligible homeowner £7,500 toward a new heat pump — paid straight to your installer, so it comes off your quote. No income means test and it covers most of the cost of a typical air source heat pump.

Check your grant eligibility →

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Running cost calculator

Drag the sliders to model your home and any future tariff. The annual & monthly figures update live.

Based on the Ofgem Oct 2026 price cap unit rates: 24.5p/kWh electricity & 6.2p/kWh gas. Adjust the sliders to model your own tariff.

Annual heat demand12,000 kWh of heat per year

6,000 kWh (small flat)20,000 kWh (large house)

Heat pump efficiency (SCOP)SCOP 4.4

2.5 (poor)6.0 (best R290)

Gas boiler efficiency90%

80% (old)95% (A-rated)

Tariff sensitivity — model future price-cap changes

Electricity rate24.5p/kWh

10p (cheap export tariff)40p (high rate)

Gas rate6.2p/kWh

3p12p

Heat pump

£56/mo

£668/yr

Gas boiler

£69/mo

£827/yr

Elec boiler

£245/mo

£2,940/yr

Running cost verdict

At a SCOP of 4.4, a heat pump saves you £158 a year (£13/mo) against a 90% gas boiler at current rates.

Cost per 1 kWh of heat delivered

Heat pump5.6p

Gas boiler6.9p

Standing charges aren’t included (both systems carry them). The heat pump uses 2,727.273 kWh of electricity; the gas boiler uses 13,333.333 kWh of gas to deliver the same 12,000 kWh of heat.

Heat-pump tariffs (Octopus Cosy, Agile, Intelligent Octopus) can cut electricity to 12–18p/kWh off-peak, which pushes the heat pump well below gas. Try the sliders to see the break-even point.

How the maths works

A heat pump doesn’t burn gas — it moves heat using electricity. Its efficiency is the SCOP(Seasonal Coefficient of Performance): a SCOP of 4.4 means every 1 kWh of electricity the unit draws delivers 4.4 kWh of heat in. To deliver a home’s 12,000 kWh annual heat demand it uses 2,727 kWh of electricity.

A gas boiler instead burns gas at its efficiency (90% for a modern A-rated condensing unit), so it uses 13,333 kWh of gas. The calculator multiplies each by its price-cap rate to give the true running-cost comparison — then lets you adjust everything to your own numbers.

Because electricity costs roughly 4x more per kWh than gas, the heat pump must hit a SCOP above ~2.7 to beat gas at all — and virtually every modern unit does. The higher the SCOP, the bigger the saving.

Want those savings installed?

Get free quotes from local MCS-certified installers — every quote has the £7,500 grant applied and estimated running-cost savings.

Get free quotes →

More on heat pumps

The 10 best heat pumps in the UK, compared →

Heat pump running costs — full guide →

Heat pump vs gas boiler — deep dive →

Heat pump cost UK 2026 →

Heat pump accessories →

Find an MCS-certified installer →

£7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant →

Running costs — frequently asked questions

FAQ

Heat pump running cost FAQs

Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler?: It depends on the heat pump's SCOP and your electricity tariff. At the Oct 2026 price cap cap (24.5p/kWh electricity, 6.2p/kWh gas), a mid-range SCOP of around 4.4 typically saves £250–£450 a year against a 90% gas boiler. A high-efficiency unit (SCOP 5+) saves more, and heat-pump tariffs can push the saving well above £500.
How do I calculate heat pump running costs?: Divide your annual heat demand (kWh) by the heat pump's SCOP to get the electricity used, then multiply by your electricity rate. For example: 12,000 kWh / SCOP 4.4 = 2,727 kWh of electricity, at 24.5p/kWh = about £668 a year. The calculator above does this for you with sensitivity sliders.
What SCOP do I need to beat gas?: At the current price cap, a heat pump needs a SCOP of roughly 2.6–2.8 to match a 90% gas boiler on running cost. Almost every modern air source heat pump (SCOP 3.5–5) beats gas comfortably — the question is by how much. Use the calculator to see your own break-even.
Will a cheap heat-pump tariff lower running costs further?: Yes, significantly. Dedicated heat-pump tariffs like Octopus Cosy, Intelligent Octopus or Agile can bring off-peak electricity to 12–18p/kWh, which pushes a heat pump well below gas even at a modest SCOP. The calculator lets you model this with the electricity-rate slider.
Does the £7,500 grant change the running-cost maths?: The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant doesn't affect running cost per se, but because it cuts the upfront install cost so dramatically (£4,000–£9,000 typical after grant), the payback period on that lower price is much shorter — a heat pump can now pay for its running-cost advantage much faster.

Sources & cited data

Ofgem Energy Price Cap — Unit Rates — https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap
Gas vs Electricity — Energy Saving Trust — https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/heat-pumps/
Boiler Upgrade Scheme — GOV.UK / Energy Security & Net Zero — https://www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-scheme

Running-cost estimates use Ofgem Oct 2026 price cap default unit rates and exclude standing charges. Your actual figures depend on your tariff, home and installation — the calculator exists so you can model your own scenario.