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Energy Review

Heat Pump Running Cost Calculator

Enter the gas use your heat pump would replace, your energy rates and the efficiency of both systems. The result compares their annual running costs.

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Your home and your rates
Results update as you type

Include the heating and hot-water gas the pump would replace. Use the statement total only if no hob, fire or other gas appliance remains. Enter kWh, not m³.

Editable 85% starting assumption, not a measurement of your boiler.

Or use a measured figure from below.

Measured COP from monitored British homes

These come from 455 monitored systems publishing their own monitoring, not from a manufacturer's test bench. They are also a self-selected sample, not a representative estimate for British installations.

The fullest arrangement: what went in and what came out, both measured.

383 systems, Whole system metered. Figures from one metering arrangement are not comparable with another, so this page never shows a single COP across all of them.

The number that decides it:A heat pump breaks even when electricity costs no more than COP ÷ boiler efficiency times as much as gas, at the efficiencies you entered. Change either unit rate, the COP or the boiler efficiency and the comparison changes.

Compare heat-pump tariffs

Use the annual electricity estimate above to compare dedicated heat-pump tariffs on the same basis.

Compare heat-pump tariffs

What decides the comparison?

A heat pump is cheaper to run when its efficiency advantage is greater than electricity's price disadvantage. The calculator shows your rate ratio beside the break-even ratio from the efficiencies you enter.

Use comparable efficiency figures

The measured COP choices are kept in separate groups according to what each home's meters covered. Select the arrangement closest to the system you are assessing, or enter a measured figure of your own.

Include only costs that change

Count the gas standing charge as a saving only if you would disconnect gas completely. Installation and upgrade costs are not included. For current help with installation costs, see the grants and schemes page.

Use annual gas consumption from a recent bill. If your meter gives cubic metres, the gas meter reading calculator can convert the difference to kilowatt hours.

Frequently asked questions

Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler in the UK?

It depends on your electricity and gas rates and the efficiency of both systems. With the editable examples of COP 3.5 and boiler efficiency 85%, break-even is about 4.1 times. The current standard-cap rate ratio shown here is about 3.3 to one; use your own figures for a personal comparison.

What is a realistic COP for a UK heat pump?

Use measured performance from your own system or a comparable installation if you have it. The monitored-home figures offered here are grouped by what the meters covered, because different metering arrangements cannot be compared directly.

Why does this page not give one average COP?

The available systems use different metering arrangements. Combining them would mix unlike measurements, so the calculator keeps each group separate.

Should I include the gas standing charge saving?

Only if you would disconnect the gas supply entirely. If you keep a gas hob or fire, you will still pay the standing charge, worth about £108 a year at the rate shown.

Does this include the cost of installing the heat pump?

No. It compares running costs only. Installation, grants, radiator changes and hot-water work are separate costs.

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Rob Gibbs

Written by

Rob Gibbs

Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.