Heat pump or new furnace and AC? For Provo City Corp customers

For Provo City Corp customers in Utah, 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 Provo City Corp electricity rates in Utah that needs a new furnace and AC: It depends on your quotes. A heat pump costs about $30 a year more to run, so it only comes out ahead if its quote is at least $500 below the quote for a new furnace and AC.

Cite or reuse this answer

MeterWise, "Heat pump vs. gas furnace and AC on Provo City Corp rates (UT)", updated 2026-11-10, https://meterwise.app/ut/provo-city-corp/heat-pump-vs-furnace/. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Also as Markdown and JSON.

Electricity

11.4¢/kWh

-14% vs. Utah average

Heating fuel

$1.05/therm

Gas: 78% of homes here

Climate

5,502

heating degree days · Orem Trtmt Plt

Rebates

Not checked

not yet researched in Utah

Our estimate for this home

It depends on your quotes

It depends on your quotes. A heat pump costs about $30 a year more to run, so it only comes out ahead if its quote is at least $500 below the quote for a new furnace and AC.

Heat pump only wins below $10,800 Typical quote for either, about $11,300
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

Lowest 15-year cost

Installed
$11,300$8,800–$13,700
Energy per year
$770Baseline
15-year total
$22,800
Payback
Baseline

Heat pump (replaces both)

Installed
$11,300$7,800–$14,700
Energy per year
$800Costs $30/yr
15-year total
$23,300
Payback
Same price up front, costs more to run

High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump

Installed
$14,700$10,800–$19,600
Energy per year
$620Saves $150/yr
15-year total
$24,100
Payback
Over 15 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 High-efficiency HP $24,100 Heat pump $23,300 Furnace + AC $22,800
  • 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 Lowest 15-year cost $11,300
$8,800–$13,700
$770
$22,800 Baseline
Heat pump (replaces both) $11,300
$7,800–$14,700
$800
costs $30/yr
$23,300 Same price up front, costs more to run
High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump $14,700
$10,800–$19,600
$620
saves $150/yr
$24,100 Over 15 years

What this is based on

  • Electricity: Provo City Corp's average residential price in UT (EIA), $0.114/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.136/kWh. Enter your own rate for a closer answer.
  • Weather: Orem Trtmt Plt (5,502 heating and 1,131 cooling degree days a year, 1991-2020).
  • Heating fuel prices (EIA): gas $1.05/therm (Utah, average of the last five winter months); propane $2.38/gallon (Utah average this heating season); heating oil $6.15/gallon (U.S. average this heating season).
  • Homes in Provo City Corp's Utah area heat with gas 78%, electricity 20%, propane 2% (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023). The calculator starts with gas, the most common furnace fuel here; pick yours above.
  • Utah HVAC installer wages are 4% below the U.S. median (BLS), so installed prices are scaled by 0.98.
  • Energy use for heating and cooling:
    • New gas furnace + new AC: 1,850 kWh and 525 therms a year for heating and cooling
    • Heat pump (replaces both): 6,213 kWh a year for heating and cooling
    • High-efficiency cold-climate heat pump: 4,825 kWh a year for heating and cooling

Rebates

  • We haven't checked heat pump rebates in Utah yet, so these numbers leave them out. Utility and state programs can take thousands off a heat pump: ask Provo City Corp 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 Utah numbers

How Provo City Corp's rates change the answer

Provo City Corp's electricity price for a typical home is 14% below the Utah average ($0.114 vs. $0.133 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, gas heat is cheaper to run than a heat pump for a typical home here.

Common questions

Is a heat pump worth it for Provo City Corp customers?

It depends on your quotes. A heat pump costs about $30 a year more to run, so it only comes out ahead if its quote is at least $500 below 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 Provo City Corp's rates?

About $800 a year for heating and cooling with a heat pump (6,213 kWh), compared with about $770 a year for a new furnace and AC, for a typical 1,800 sq ft home with weather like Orem Trtmt Plt's.

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

Our typical installed price for a heat pump in Utah is about $11,282 (range $7,848 to $14,715), against about $11,282 for a new furnace and AC. Prices are published study ranges scaled for home size and Utah installer wages; rebates in Utah have not been checked yet, so they are not included. Always compare real quotes.

What electricity price does this use?

Electricity: Provo City Corp's average residential price in UT (EIA), $0.114/kWh; the winter price of extra kWh is estimated at $0.136/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.