Heat pump running cost calculator

Heat pump vs gas, oil or LPG: what does it cost to run?

Compare a year of heating on a heat pump against the boiler it replaces, using the current energy price cap. Every tariff, the SCOP and the boiler efficiency are yours to change.

An estimate of running cost only, not installation cost or grants. Nothing is sent anywhere.

1. The heat and the heat pump

Annual heat demand is how much heat the home needs in a year. A typical UK home is around 12,000 kWh; use the EPC or a heat-loss figure where you have one. SCOP is the heat pump’s seasonal efficiency; be conservative, not best-case.

kWh/yr
p/kWh

2. The boiler it replaces

Pick the fuel and adjust the efficiency and unit rate. Oil and LPG are sold per litre and are not price-capped, so their rates here are indicative; convert at roughly 10.35 kWh per litre of oil and 6.6 kWh per litre of LPG.

%
p/kWh

Electricity and gas: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, national average Direct Debit, checked 10 October 2026. No VAT on electricity this period; gas includes 5% VAT. Oil and LPG: indicative, editable. All rates are yours to change.

Annual running cost

Heat pump

Gas boiler

Running cost only. It excludes the cost of installing the heat pump and any grant. For payback and the business case, see the job management ROI calculator, and for the grant the Boiler Upgrade Scheme checker.

installHUB

Heat pump running cost estimate

Running cost only. Excludes installation cost and grants.

Reference: Date:
OptionAnnual running cost
Heat pump
boiler
Inputs used

Estimate only. Running costs depend on your tariff, usage, system design, the SCOP achieved in service and insulation. Tariff defaults: Ofgem price cap 1 October to 31 December 2026; oil and LPG indicative. Not financial advice. Excludes installation cost and grants.

Produced with the free tools at installhub.com/tools
installHUB is job management software built for installers. Survey, quote, schedule, install, document and invoice from one record, so the survey you did this morning becomes the quote, the job sheet and the DNO application without anyone re-typing it. DNO notifications file straight through ENA Connect Direct and the response is tracked against the job. Free trial, no card required, at installhub.com.
The method

How the running-cost comparison works

Cost per unit of useful heat, for each fuel. Every figure is one you can change.
Heat pump costAnnual heat demand divided by the SCOP gives the electricity the heat pump uses; multiply by the electricity unit rate. A SCOP of 3 means three units of heat per unit of electricity.
Boiler costAnnual heat demand divided by the boiler efficiency gives the fuel burned; multiply by the fuel unit rate. A 90% condensing boiler wastes about a tenth of the fuel as flue loss.
Oil and LPGSold per litre, so convert to pence per kWh: oil at roughly 10.35 kWh per litre, LPG at roughly 6.6 kWh per litre. These calorific values are typical, not regulated, and are editable.
The price capThe electricity and gas defaults are the Ofgem price cap, national average, Direct Debit. They change every quarter, and your customer’s tariff may differ, so edit them.
What it leaves outRunning cost only. It does not include the cost of the installation, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, or maintenance. Use the ROI calculator for payback and the BUS checker for the grant.

Why the SCOP matters most. At the current price cap, electricity costs roughly three times as much as gas per unit, so a heat pump needs a SCOP of around three just to match a gas boiler on running cost, and more to beat it. A well designed system on a sensible tariff does better; a poorly commissioned one on a standard tariff can do worse. That is why the SCOP and the tariffs here are yours to set, not fixed.

Won the homeowner on running cost?

installHUB takes it from quote to install to handover, with the survey, the quote, the MCS paperwork and the DNO notification in one place, so nothing gets re-typed between the kitchen table and the commissioning sheet.

Quote the job →Work out the payback →Will it need a DNO notification? →
Questions

Heat pump running costs, answered

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

It depends on the SCOP the heat pump achieves and the ratio of the electricity price to the gas price. At the current price cap electricity costs around three times as much as gas per unit, so a SCOP of about three is roughly comparable to a gas boiler, and a higher SCOP or a heat-pump tariff beats it. Put your own figures in rather than relying on a headline.

What is SCOP?+

The seasonal coefficient of performance: the average units of heat the pump delivers per unit of electricity it uses across a whole heating season. A SCOP of 3.5 means 3.5 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity. Higher is cheaper to run, and good system design and commissioning are what get you there.

What electricity and gas price does this use?+

The Ofgem energy price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, national average, Direct Debit, checked on 10 October 2026. There is no VAT on electricity this period and gas includes 5% VAT. Oil and LPG are not price-capped, so those defaults are indicative. Every rate is editable.

Does this include the cost of installing the heat pump?+

No. This compares running cost only. For the payback on the installation see the job management ROI calculator, and for the grant that reduces the up-front cost see the Boiler Upgrade Scheme checker.

GET STARTED

Ready to manage your jobs end to end?

Join hundreds of installation businesses running their full workflow on installHUB.

✓ No credit card required

✓ 1 month free trial

✓ Cancel anytime

Solutions
Resources
Company

©2026 installHUB™ | A product of Khan Soft Ltd
Company number: 15956975