Cost to heat a home in Montana
Cheapest to run in Montana is
a gas furnace
A gas furnace costs about $305 a year less than a heat pump here. Cheap gas relative to electricity is the reason, and no amount of equipment efficiency closes that gap at these prices.
A heating season compared
| Gas furnacecheapest80% AFUE | $1695 |
| Heat pumpHSPF2 8.5 | $2000 |
| Electric resistanceBaseboard or furnace | $4982 |
At 14.99¢ a kilowatt hour and $1.20 a therm, for a 1,800 square foot home over 7,500 heating degree days.
About the cold
Montana sees about 170 freezing nights a year. That is enough that a heat pump needs to be a cold-climate model, and backup heat will run on the worst nights — which is already reflected in the figures above.
Common questions
Is a heat pump cheaper than gas heating in Montana?
No. At Montana's prices a gas furnace costs about $1695 a season against $2000 for a heat pump, so switching would raise running costs by roughly $305 a year. Cheap gas, not poor equipment, is the reason.
What does it cost to heat a house in Montana for a winter?
Between about $1695 and $4982 for a 1,800 square foot home, depending entirely on the system. Montana runs around 7,500 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 Montana that difference is about $2982 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 Montana'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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