BTU Cost Calculator 2027: Which Heating Fuel Is Cheapest?
Gas is billed by the therm, oil and propane by the gallon, electricity by the kWh, so your bills can’t be compared side by side. This BTU calculator turns each price into BTUs per dollar for your state and shows which fuel heats your home for the least money.
Fuel prices in Columbus, OH
Furnace, installed · natural gas$16,250
- –Wood pellets not ranked45,810 BTU/$
Ton price excludes delivery; hauling, hopper loading and ash cleanup make pellets a lifestyle choice.
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Heating fuel prices updated on October 15, 2026.
| Natural Gas: | 99976 BTUs / Therm |
|---|---|
| #2 Heating Oil: | 138690 BTUs/ Gallon |
| Electricity: | 3412.14 BTUs / kWh |
| Propane Gas: | 91502 BTUs / Gallon |
| Wood Pellets: | 8200-8800 BTUs / Pound (16.4-17.6 MMBTUs / Ton) |
How to Use the BTU Calculator
- Check the state. It’s in the calculator’s title. If it’s wrong, tap “change” and the prices switch to that state’s averages.
- Enter your heated area. It sets the installed price of the heating system. It doesn’t change the fuel ranking.
- Use your own prices. The defaults come from federal energy data and run a month or two behind real bills. Copy the rate off your bill: gas per therm, power per kWh, oil and propane per gallon, pellets per ton.
- Read the results. They refresh as you type. The top card shows the cheapest fuel, its BTUs per dollar, and the installed price of a furnace, boiler or heat pump to burn it. The other fuels follow from best to worst. Tap any of them to see its system price.
A bigger number means cheaper heat. Wood pellets show up last and unranked, because the ton price leaves out delivery and someone has to haul the bags and fill the hopper.
The cheapest fuel isn’t always gas, and it’s worth knowing before you buy equipment. Pick the wrong one and you can overpay a few hundred dollars every winter for the 15-plus years a system lasts.
Quick Answers
Answers use Ohio averages; energy prices updated October 2026.
My bill shows a different price. Which do I use?
Yours. Every price field is editable: type in what your supplier charges and the ranking updates as you type.
Is natural gas always cheapest?
Not always, but in Ohio it is right now: natural gas buys 63,517 BTUs per dollar, ahead of a heat pump (COP 3) at 43,990. Across the 50 states and DC, natural gas comes out on top in 33.
What does a million BTUs of heat cost in Ohio?
At Ohio prices, cheapest first: natural gas $15.74, heat pump (COP 3) $22.73, propane $28.11, heating oil $42.65, electric baseboard $68.20. Wood pellets come to $21.83, not ranked: the ton price leaves out delivery. Those are heat-content prices before equipment losses, the same basis the BTU cost calculator uses.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than natural gas in Ohio?
Not in Ohio right now. Natural gas buys 63,517 BTUs per dollar; a heat pump at a COP of 3 buys 43,990. Power would have to drop below about 16.1¢ per kWh to flip that (the Ohio average is 23.3¢), or the heat pump would need a higher COP.
Are wood pellets cheaper than natural gas or oil in Ohio?
Cheaper than oil, not natural gas, in Ohio. Pellets at $358 a ton buy 45,810 BTUs per dollar, against 63,517 for natural gas and 23,447 for heating oil. That ton price leaves out delivery, and bags to haul and ash to empty come with it, so the calculator lists pellets apart instead of ranking them; many owners run a pellet stove alongside a central system.
Does a cheap fuel guarantee low bills?
No. At Ohio prices, natural gas burned in a worn-out 60% furnace costs about $26.24 per million BTU of heat delivered; a 95% furnace gets that down to $16.57. Sizing and leaky ducts matter too.
Run your own numbers: Home heating cost calculator or Heat pump cost calculator.
Heating Costs in Ohio
Typical installed prices for heating systems in Ohio.
Heat Pump vs. Baseboard Heat
Electricity shows up twice: as plain baseboard heat and as a heat pump running at a COP of 3.
Baseboards turn one unit of power into one unit of heat. They finish at or near the bottom almost every time, usually trading last place with heating oil. They’re cheap to install, which is why rentals are full of them. If you own the house, replacing them is money well spent.
A heat pump moves heat instead of making it. At COP 3 you get three units of heat per unit of power, so it lands first or second in most states, often ahead of gas. With rooftop solar, part of that power comes off your own roof. Our heat pump cost calculator prices the switch.
Which Heating Fuel Is Cheapest Where You Live?
Northeast: electricity is expensive, so gas usually beats a heat pump if you have a line, and pellets often beat both on BTUs per dollar. No gas line? Look at a cold-climate heat pump sized for your coldest night.
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast: from Pennsylvania south, cheaper power usually puts the heat pump on top.
Midwest and northern states: gas and electricity run much closer, and propane tends to cost less than it does on either coast. In some states heat pumps, propane and pellets all beat gas. Only oil and baseboard electric reliably cost more.
Matching the Fuel to a Heating System
Let your cheapest fuel point you to the equipment:
- Radiators and cheap gas or oil? Price a new boiler.
- Ductwork plus gas or propane? A furnace replacement is usually the cheapest swap.
- Electricity near the top? Get heat pump quotes.
- Pellets far ahead per dollar? A pellet stove can carry much of the load.
Cheap fuel won’t save much in a worn-out furnace running at 60% efficiency. Efficiency and furnace sizing matter as much as the fuel. When you’re ready, get free quotes from local installers and check them against your results.
How Do You Calculate BTUs Per Dollar?
Every fuel holds a fixed amount of heat per unit, listed in the table right under the calculator. Divide that figure by your price per unit. At $2.90 a therm (99,976 BTUs):
99,976 ÷ $2.90 = about 34,475 BTUs per dollar
For an hourly cost, divide your furnace’s rating by that score. A 60,000 BTU/hour furnace running nonstop:
60,000 ÷ 34,475 = about $1.74 per hour
Real furnaces cycle, running roughly 15 to 20 minutes an hour on a normal winter day. That puts you near 44 to 58 cents an hour. For a whole-season number, try the home heating cost calculator.
