Heating fuel cost comparison calculator

Compare the variable cost of supplying the same yearly useful heat with oil, propane, gas, direct electric resistance and a heat pump. Useful heat is heat delivered to the home after system losses. Enter that demand once so all five options serve the same stated need.

Collect delivered fuel prices, fuel energy contents and seasonal efficiencies. Use litres for oil and propane and cubic metres for gas. Enter electricity in cents per kWh and the heat pump’s seasonal COP. Results show the cost per useful kWh, annual energy costs and the lowest entered variable-cost option. They do not rank whole installation choices.

Variable cost per useful kWh = fuel price per unit ÷ fuel kWh per unit ÷ seasonal efficiency. Resistance heating uses its electricity price per kWh at the point of use. Heat pump useful-heat cost is electricity price ÷ seasonal COP. Annual costs all use the same entered useful heat demand.

COP means coefficient of performance: heat delivered divided by electricity used. SCOP is this ratio over a season. A ratio of 4 means 4 kWh of heat per 1 kWh of electricity. Use the ratio itself, without a percent conversion.

Use a percentage as a fraction once: for example, 50% means 50 ÷ 100 = 0.5. Use 0.5 in the energy formula; do not divide it by 100 again.

Quebec standard Rate D prices the first 40 kWh per billing day at one rate and the rest at a second rate. Heating cost is the electricity line with heating minus the same line without it. The daily access charge cancels. The annual scenario repeats your entered daily profile.

The economic break-even COP is the heat pump ratio that matches another fuel’s variable cost for the same heat. Fixed charges and installation costs are excluded. This threshold does not identify a switching temperature or model a hybrid system’s control schedule.

These illustrative inputs are separate from your saved answers. Prices, use and performance are held constant for this worked scenario; they are not personal defaults.

Use fuel prices and energy contents on the same billing basis as each efficiency. A litre or cubic metre is not the same amount of energy across different fuels. The calculation converts each fuel using its matching energy content before allowing for system losses.

Use the stored generic fuel contents only where appropriate, or enter supplier values. Seasonal heat pump COP should describe the whole assessed system. A rating from one test condition does not prove annual performance. No guessed property demand or equipment efficiency fills an empty personal field.

Prices and demand stay constant through the annual comparison. Fixed supply charges, installation, maintenance and future changes are outside the variable-cost result. Resistance heating converts electrical input to heat at the point of use; the tool does not assess room heat distribution. Display rounding does not change the unrounded totals.

Use Canadian tax-inclusive prices. Combine variable bill charges into the selected fuel unit price, leaving fixed charges out. For a flat electricity comparison, use the actual cents-per-kWh price that applies to the added heating use. A whole bill divided by energy can include unrelated fixed amounts.

Choose Quebec standard Rate D only for the matching account and dated rate. Enter other household use without heating, billing days and the required daily-profile confirmation. The same profile is repeated for the scenario. Checked source dates identify records and methods, rather than verification of your property or future prices.

Ask an energy adviser or qualified installer to check useful heat demand, fuel conversions and seasonal performance. Bring bills, delivery records and equipment documentation so the input units can be checked.

Before changing systems, obtain installation and fixed-cost information separately. Ask about equipment output, local requirements and safe fuel connections. A low variable energy cost does not confirm suitable capacity, safe installation or the lowest full cost of ownership.