Heat pump or new furnace and AC? For New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc customers

For New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc customers in New Hampshire, on the utility's average price, local weather.

Quick answer · updated

As of November 2026, for a typical 1,800 sq ft heating oil-heated home on New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc electricity rates in New Hampshire that needs a new furnace and AC: A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump comes out ahead here even with a high quote: about $33,400 less than a new furnace and AC over 15 years at typical prices, and $2,340 a year less to run.

Cite or reuse this answer

MeterWise, "Heat pump vs. oil furnace and AC on New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc rates (NH)", updated 2026-11-10, https://meterwise.app/nh/new-hampshire-elec-coop-inc/heat-pump-vs-furnace/. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Also as Markdown and JSON.

Electricity

23.8¢/kWh

-12% vs. New Hampshire average

Heating fuel

$6.03/gallon

Heating oil: 46% of homes here

Climate

7,102

heating degree days · Lakeport 2

Rebates

Not checked

not yet researched in New Hampshire

Our estimate for this home

A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump comes out ahead

A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump comes out ahead here even with a high quote: about $33,400 less than a new furnace and AC over 15 years at typical prices, and $2,340 a year less to run.

New oil furnace + new AC

Installed
$14,900$10,200–$18,300
Energy per year
$3,610Baseline
15-year total
$69,100
Payback
Baseline

Heat pump (replaces both)

Installed
$12,700$8,800–$16,600
Energy per year
$1,800Saves $1,810/yr
15-year total
$39,800
Payback
Cheaper up front and to run

High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump

Lowest 15-year cost

Installed
$16,600$12,200–$22,100
Energy per year
$1,270Saves $2,340/yr
15-year total
$35,700
Payback
0.7 years

Total cost over 15 years

Installed cost plus energy, year by year. Hover or tap the chart to compare.

$0$20K$40K$60K$80KInstallYear 5Year 10Year 15 Pays back in year 1 New AC $69,100 Heat pump $39,800 High-efficiency HP $35,700
  • New oil furnace + new AC
  • Heat pump (replaces both)
  • High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump
Show as a table
OptionInstalled cost (typical, range, after rebates)Energy cost per year15-year totalPayback vs. like-for-like
New oil furnace + new AC $14,900
$10,200–$18,300
$3,610
$69,100 Baseline
Heat pump (replaces both) $12,700
$8,800–$16,600
$1,800
saves $1,810/yr
$39,800 Cheaper up front and to run
High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump Lowest 15-year cost $16,600
$12,200–$22,100
$1,270
saves $2,340/yr
$35,700 0.7 years

What this is based on

  • Electricity: New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc's average residential price in NH (EIA), $0.238/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.209/kWh. Enter your own rate for a closer answer.
  • Weather: Lakeport 2 (7,102 heating and 528 cooling degree days a year, 1991-2020).
  • Heating fuel prices (EIA): gas $1.86/therm (New Hampshire, average of the last five winter months); propane $3.86/gallon (New Hampshire average this heating season); heating oil $6.03/gallon (New Hampshire average this heating season).
  • Homes in New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc's New Hampshire area heat with heating oil 46%, propane 23%, electricity 10%, gas 9% (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023). The calculator starts with heating oil, the most common furnace fuel here; pick yours above.
  • New Hampshire HVAC installer wages are 21% above the U.S. median (BLS), so installed prices are scaled by 1.10.
  • Energy use for heating and cooling:
    • New oil furnace + new AC: 1,380 kWh and 547 gallons of heating oil a year for heating and cooling
    • Heat pump (replaces both): 8,378 kWh a year for heating and cooling
    • High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump: 5,894 kWh a year for heating and cooling

Rebates

  • We haven't checked heat pump rebates in New Hampshire yet, so these numbers leave them out. Utility and state programs can take thousands off a heat pump: ask New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc and your contractor what's available. Each dollar of rebate adds a dollar to the quote gap a heat pump can carry.

What to know about the New Hampshire numbers

How New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc's rates change the answer

New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc's electricity price for a typical home is 12% below the New Hampshire average ($0.238 vs. $0.270 per kWh). A heat pump moves your heating from gas, propane or oil to electricity, so the electricity price is the biggest single factor: calculators that use a state average can get the answer wrong for your utility. At these prices, a heat pump is cheaper to run than heating oil heat for a typical home here.

Common questions

Is a heat pump worth it for New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc customers?

A high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump comes out ahead here even with a high quote: about $33,400 less than a new furnace and AC over 15 years at typical prices, and $2,340 a year less to run. This is for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with average insulation that heats with heating oil and needs both a new furnace and AC; change the details in the calculator above for your home.

How much does a heat pump cost to run on New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc's rates?

About $1,270 a year for heating and cooling with a high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump (5,894 kWh), compared with about $3,610 a year for a new furnace and AC, for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with weather like Lakeport's.

How much does a heat pump cost to install in New Hampshire?

Our typical installed price for a high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump in New Hampshire is about $16,575 (range $12,155 to $22,100), against about $14,918 for a new furnace and AC. Prices are published study ranges scaled for home size and New Hampshire installer wages; rebates in New Hampshire have not been checked yet, so they are not included. Always compare real quotes.

What electricity price does this use?

Electricity: New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc's average residential price in NH (EIA), $0.238/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.209/kWh. Enter your own rate for a closer answer.

How we calculate this

Heating and cooling need

Your home's yearly heating and cooling need comes from 1991-2020 NOAA climate normals for the nearest weather station, scaled by floor area and insulation level. If you know last winter's gas use, compare it with the therms in the energy-use list above.

Heating fuels

Choose the fuel your furnace burns: gas, propane, heating oil or electricity. Gas uses the state's average residential price over the last five winter months; propane and heating oil use the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly residential prices for this heating season (state, regional or U.S. average, as available), converted by heat content (91,500 Btu per gallon of propane, 138,500 per gallon of oil). An electric furnace is priced through the same electricity rates as the heat pump. The starting fuel is the most common furnace fuel in the utility's area (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey).

Equipment efficiency

New gas or propane furnace 95% AFUE, new oil furnace 85%, electric furnace 100%; new AC SEER2 13.4; standard heat pump SEER2 15.2 / HSPF2 7.8; high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump SEER2 21.5 / HSPF2 10.6. Heat pump efficiency falls as it gets colder, and in cold months part of the heat comes from backup electric strips (or your old furnace, if you keep it). Existing equipment is assumed to be 15-20 years old: an 80% gas or propane furnace, a 78% oil furnace or a SEER2 9.5 AC.

Installed costs

Installed prices vary a lot, so we show a typical price and a range for a home of about 1,800 sq ft with existing ductwork, scaled for larger or smaller homes: furnace and AC together $9,000–$14,000; furnace alone $3,800–$7,000; AC alone $4,500–$9,000; standard heat pump $8,000–$15,000; high-efficiency cold-climate heat pump $11,000–$20,000; electrical panel upgrade, if needed, $1,500–$4,000. These are national figures drawn from published studies and program data (NESCAUM / Energy Solutions, Heat Pumps in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Costs and Market Trends (October 2024); Rewiring America, Upfront cost of home electrification (March 2024); EIA, Updated Buildings Sector Appliance and Equipment Costs and Efficiencies (2023)). The most useful number here is how much more a heat pump can cost than a like-for-like quote and still come out ahead: get quotes for both and compare.

Labor and rebates

Half of each installed price is treated as labor and scaled by the state's median HVAC installer wage relative to the U.S. median (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Listed rebates are subtracted when the box is ticked; per-ton rebates assume about one ton of capacity per 600 sq ft. Rebates change often and have eligibility rules, so confirm with the program before you buy.

Not included

Financing, maintenance (similar for all options), local town rebates, and changes in energy prices over time.