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Is a heat pump cheaper to run than gas heat in Illinois

Describe your heat pump job, and a local pro who handles it gets in touch.

You already made the switch to a heat pump. Now you're running the numbers against what gas heat would have cost you, and that math depends on things specific to your house and your utility rates, not just a rule of thumb.

Illinois winters ask a lot of a heat pump. When it gets cold enough, most heat pumps lean on backup electric resistance heat to keep up, and that's where the power bill can climb past what gas would have run you. Whether that happens, and how often, comes down to how the unit is sized, what backup it has, and how your contractor set it up to handle the coldest stretches.

Power here isn't cheap, and gas is still how most of your neighbors heat their homes. That alone doesn't settle the question for your house. A heat pump installed and configured well for Illinois winters can hold its own or come out ahead, especially once you factor in what it does for you all summer. One that's undersized or set up without the local climate in mind will cost you more than it should, in both directions.

Getting a straight answer means someone looking at your actual system, your ductwork, and how your home holds heat, not a general estimate. That's a different conversation with every contractor you call, and most homeowners end up repeating the same details three or four times before they get a number they trust.

This page can connect you with a contractor who installs heat pumps suited to Illinois winters and will look at your specific setup instead of guessing. You'd hear back from someone who already knows what you're asking and why it matters here, without the round of calls to get there.

Most winters, gas heat still costs less to run here, because electricity in Illinois is expensive and a heat pump has to work harder as the temperature drops. Below freezing, a heat pump pulls more power to deliver the same heat, and on the coldest nights it may lean on backup electric strips that use even more. Gas, burned directly, doesn't have that penalty. Where a heat pump earns its keep is summer, doing the job of your air conditioner, and in the shoulder months when temperatures stay mild and it doesn't have to strain. Your actual costs depend on your electric rate, your gas rate, and how your system is set up to switch between the two, or whether it runs on electricity alone. A contractor who knows your equipment and your utility rates can tell you where the balance actually falls for your house.

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A pro who works on heat pumps

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Above freezing, the heat pump moves heat instead of burning gas
As it gets colder, the compressor works harder to pull heat inside
Near freezing, output drops while your home keeps losing heat faster
Below a set point, backup electric resistance heat switches on to help

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Why the crossover point matters

Every heat pump has a temperature where it stops being the cheaper choice against gas, and that point depends on your electric rate and your gas rate, not just the weather outside. A contractor can calculate yours by checking your utility bills against your heat pump's output at different outdoor temperatures. Some homes cross over in the mid-30s, others hold the advantage down into the 20s depending on the equipment. Without knowing that number for your house, you're guessing at when to let the heat pump run and when gas would do the job cheaper, if your system still has a gas furnace paired with it.

What balance point setting does

A thermostat or control board can be set so the heat pump hands off to gas heat automatically once the outdoor temperature drops to your balance point, instead of relying on backup electric resistance heat or running the heat pump past where it still makes sense. Setting that point wrong in either direction costs you. Set it too high and gas kicks in when the heat pump still had the cheaper run left in it. Set it too low and you pay for electric resistance heat or a straining compressor on nights when gas would have cost less for the same warmth.

Power costs 17.67 cents per kilowatt-hour statewide

At that rate, every kilowatt-hour your heat pump draws on a cold night costs more than it would in most other states. That's what pushes the crossover point higher here, so gas ends up carrying more of your winter than it might for someone paying less for power.

EIA-861 2025 statewide residential average

Where Your Heat Pump Stands

Below a certain outdoor temperature, your heat pump leans on backup electric heat, and that's when gas usually wins on cost.
Illinois electric rates push that crossover point higher than it would be in a state with cheaper power.
Your gas rate and your electric rate together decide the crossover point, not the weather alone.
A furnace paired with your heat pump can take over on the coldest nights instead of relying on backup resistance heat.
The same system can still save you money most of the year, even if gas carries more of the deep winter stretch.
A contractor who checks your rates and your equipment's output can tell you where your specific crossover point sits.

There's no single answer for every house. A heat pump in Illinois saves you money most of the year, because moving heat takes less power than making it. Gas tends to win on the coldest days, once your system drops into backup heat and your electric rate takes over the bill. Where that line falls depends on your electric rate, your gas rate, and what your equipment can put out as the temperature drops. Two houses on the same street can have different crossover points if they're on different rate plans or different sized units. If your heat pump is paired with a furnace, that furnace can carry the coldest stretch instead of leaving backup resistance heat to do it, which changes the math again. None of this is something you can work out by reading a chart built for someone else's house. It takes someone looking at your rates and your equipment's specs together. Instead of calling around to a handful of contractors, explaining your setup to each one, and sitting with quotes that are hard to compare side by side, you can get matched with a contractor who looks at your specific numbers and tells you where you actually stand. You already know Illinois winters are hard on heating costs. What this comes down to is whether your system and your rates line up in a way that still favors the heat pump, or whether gas should be doing more of the work on the coldest nights.

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