Heat pump or new furnace and AC? For People's Electric Cooperative customers

For People's Electric Cooperative customers in Oklahoma, on the utility's average price, local weather.

Quick answer · updated

As of November 2026, for a typical 1,800 sq ft gas-heated home on People's Electric Cooperative electricity rates in Oklahoma that needs a new furnace and AC: It depends on your quotes. A heat pump saves about $230 a year to run, so it comes out ahead over 15 years if its quote is no more than $3,500 above the quote for a new furnace and AC.

Cite or reuse this answer

MeterWise, "Heat pump vs. gas furnace and AC on People's Electric Cooperative rates (OK)", updated 2026-11-10, https://meterwise.app/ok/people-s-electric-cooperative/heat-pump-vs-furnace/. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Also as Markdown and JSON.

Electricity

12.5¢/kWh

-9% vs. Oklahoma average

Heating fuel

$1.38/therm

Gas: 31% of homes here

Climate

3,079

heating degree days · Mcalester Rgnl AP

Rebates

Not checked

not yet researched in Oklahoma

Our estimate for this home

It depends on your quotes

It depends on your quotes. A heat pump saves about $230 a year to run, so it comes out ahead over 15 years if its quote is no more than $3,500 above the quote for a new furnace and AC.

Heat pump still wins up to $14,600 Typical quote for either, about $11,200
Quotes before rebates. The shaded part of the bar is where a heat pump quote still has the lower 15-year cost.

New gas furnace + new AC

Installed
$11,200$8,700–$13,600
Energy per year
$730Baseline
15-year total
$22,100
Payback
Baseline

Heat pump (replaces both)

Lowest 15-year cost

Installed
$11,200$7,800–$14,600
Energy per year
$500Saves $230/yr
15-year total
$18,600
Payback
Same price up front, cheaper to run

High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump

Installed
$14,600$10,700–$19,400
Energy per year
$380Saves $340/yr
15-year total
$20,300
Payback
9.9 years

Total cost over 15 years

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

$0$10K$20K$30KInstallYear 5Year 10Year 15 Furnace + AC $22,100 High-efficiency HP $20,300 Heat pump $18,600
  • New gas 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 gas furnace + new AC $11,200
$8,700–$13,600
$730
$22,100 Baseline
Heat pump (replaces both) Lowest 15-year cost $11,200
$7,800–$14,600
$500
saves $230/yr
$18,600 Same price up front, cheaper to run
High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump $14,600
$10,700–$19,400
$380
saves $340/yr
$20,300 9.9 years

What this is based on

  • Electricity: People's Electric Cooperative's average residential price in OK (EIA), $0.125/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.094/kWh. Enter your own rate for a closer answer.
  • Weather: Mcalester Rgnl AP (3,079 heating and 2,133 cooling degree days a year, 1991-2020).
  • Heating fuel prices (EIA): gas $1.38/therm (Oklahoma, average of the last five winter months); propane $2.36/gallon (Oklahoma average this heating season); heating oil $5.97/gallon (regional average this heating season).
  • Homes in People's Electric Cooperative's Oklahoma area heat with electricity 55%, gas 31%, propane 10% (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023). The calculator starts with gas, the most common furnace fuel here; pick yours above.
  • Oklahoma HVAC installer wages are 6% below the U.S. median (BLS), so installed prices are scaled by 0.97.
  • Energy use for heating and cooling:
    • New gas furnace + new AC: 2,660 kWh and 294 therms a year for heating and cooling
    • Heat pump (replaces both): 4,539 kWh a year for heating and cooling
    • High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump: 3,531 kWh a year for heating and cooling

Rebates

  • We haven't checked heat pump rebates in Oklahoma yet, so these numbers leave them out. Utility and state programs can take thousands off a heat pump: ask People's Electric Cooperative 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 Oklahoma numbers

How People's Electric Cooperative's rates change the answer

People's Electric Cooperative's electricity price for a typical home is 9% below the Oklahoma average ($0.125 vs. $0.137 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 gas heat for a typical home here.

Common questions

Is a heat pump worth it for People's Electric Cooperative customers?

It depends on your quotes. A heat pump saves about $230 a year to run, so it comes out ahead over 15 years if its quote is no more than $3,500 above the quote for a new furnace and AC. This is for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with average insulation that heats with gas 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 People's Electric Cooperative's rates?

About $500 a year for heating and cooling with a heat pump (4,539 kWh), compared with about $730 a year for a new furnace and AC, for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with weather like Mcalester Rgnl AP's.

How much does a heat pump cost to install in Oklahoma?

Our typical installed price for a heat pump in Oklahoma is about $11,178 (range $7,776 to $14,580), against about $11,178 for a new furnace and AC. Prices are published study ranges scaled for home size and Oklahoma installer wages; rebates in Oklahoma have not been checked yet, so they are not included. Always compare real quotes.

What electricity price does this use?

Electricity: People's Electric Cooperative's average residential price in OK (EIA), $0.125/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.094/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.