Cost to heat a home in Florida
Cheapest to run in Florida is
a heat pump
A heat pump costs about $114 a year less than a gas furnace here. That is a consequence of Florida's prices, not of the equipment — the same comparison goes the other way in states with cheaper gas.
A heating season compared
| Gas furnace80% AFUE | $301 |
| Heat pumpcheapestHSPF2 8.5 | $187 |
| Electric resistanceBaseboard or furnace | $466 |
At 15.03¢ a kilowatt hour and $2.28 a therm, for a 1,800 square foot home over 700 heating degree days.
Heating barely matters here
Florida runs only about 700 heating degree days and sees around 5 freezing nights a year. Heating is a small enough share of the bill that the choice of system matters far less than it does further north — cooling is where the money goes.
Common questions
Is a heat pump cheaper than gas heating in Florida?
Yes. At Florida's prices a heat pump costs about $187 a season against $301 for a gas furnace — roughly $114 less a year for the same heat.
What does it cost to heat a house in Florida for a winter?
Between about $187 and $466 for a 1,800 square foot home, depending entirely on the system. Florida runs around 700 heating degree days a year.
Why is electric resistance heat so much more expensive?
It converts electricity to heat one for one, while a heat pump moves heat rather than making it and delivers two to three times as much per unit of electricity. In Florida that difference is about $279 a season.
Work it out for your home
These assume a 1,800 square foot home and typical equipment. The calculator takes your ZIP code, your floor area and your actual furnace efficiency, and includes what switching would cost to install.
Prices from the US Energy Information Administration, residential sector, 2026-07. Heating load estimated from Florida's heating degree days. An estimate, not a bill — insulation, air sealing, ductwork and thermostat habits all move it, and no calculator can see those.
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