Cost to heat a home in Virginia
Cheapest to run in Virginia is
a heat pump
A heat pump costs about $472 a year less than a gas furnace here. That is a consequence of Virginia'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 | $1725 |
| Heat pumpcheapestHSPF2 8.5 | $1253 |
| Electric resistanceBaseboard or furnace | $3121 |
At 17.61¢ a kilowatt hour and $2.28 a therm, for a 1,800 square foot home over 4,000 heating degree days.
About the cold
Virginia sees about 85 freezing nights a year. A modern heat pump handles that without much backup heat, so the running costs above are what you would actually see.
Common questions
Is a heat pump cheaper than gas heating in Virginia?
Yes. At Virginia's prices a heat pump costs about $1253 a season against $1725 for a gas furnace — roughly $472 less a year for the same heat.
What does it cost to heat a house in Virginia for a winter?
Between about $1253 and $3121 for a 1,800 square foot home, depending entirely on the system. Virginia runs around 4,000 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 Virginia that difference is about $1868 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, 2026-05. Heating load estimated from Virginia'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.