Cost to Heat a Pool: Gas Heater vs Heat Pump by State, 2026

Cost to heat a pool per million Btu: gas heater vs heat pump in every state

Comparing heaters per million Btu of heat actually delivered to the water removes pool size and climate from the comparison and leaves only fuel price and efficiency. On July 2026 prices a heat pump at COP 5.0 beat a gas heater at 82% efficiency in all 44 jurisdictions with gas data, usually by a wide margin.

At US average prices, gas pool heat cost $31.14 per MMBtu in July 2026 and heat pump heat cost $10.73 (EIA gas prices and EIA electricity prices; PC&S calculation). On 2025 full-year averages the figures were $18.06 and $10.14 (EIA 2025 gas prices and EIA 2025 electricity prices; PC&S calculation).

The cheapest gas heat in July 2026 was in Utah ($14.57 per MMBtu) and Montana ($14.60); the cheapest heat pump heat was in Louisiana ($7.46) and Nevada ($7.49) (PC&S calculation). On 2025 averages Idaho had the cheapest gas heat at $9.05 and North Dakota the cheapest heat pump heat at $6.92 (PC&S calculation).

DOE says heat pump COPs usually range from 3.0 to 7.0 at its 80 F test conditions (DOE). DOE’s rulemaking used weighted field COPs of 5.44 in hot-humid regions and 3.76 in cold regions (Federal Register). At COP 3.76 a heat pump still beat gas in 41 of 44 jurisdictions in July 2026; Alaska, California and Rhode Island flip to gas (PC&S calculation).

Season cost to heat a pool by state, with and without a cover

Per-Btu prices become a season bill once multiplied by how much heat a pool needs. Using the average gas use of US households that heat a pool with natural gas, a heat pump season costs less than a gas season in every state except Alaska, and a cover removes half or more of either bill.

In the 2020 RECS, US households with a natural gas pool heater used 39.335 MMBtu of gas a year; by Census region the average was 47.405 MMBtu in the Northeast, 43.017 in the South, 39.262 in the Midwest and 32.723 in the West. At 82% efficiency the US average equals 32.3 MMBtu of delivered heat (PC&S calculation).

Scenario A applies each state’s regional load to 2025 average prices. The US result is $582 a season for gas and $327 for a heat pump using 1,891 kWh (PC&S calculation). Florida comes to $1,058 for gas and $315 for a heat pump; Texas to $806 and $320; California to $695 and $512; Arizona to $587 and $241 (PC&S calculation).

Full-season pool heating in 13 cities: DOE examples at 2025 prices

DOE’s Energy Saver tables model a 1,000 square foot outdoor pool held at a set temperature for a full local season. Re-pricing those heat loads at 2025 state prices shows what keeping a pool warm all season costs, and how much of that a cover removes.

DOE priced its gas table at $1.09 per therm for an 80% efficient heater, uncovered 8 hours a day, and its heat pump table at $0.1301 per kWh with a COP of 5.0 (DOE gas; DOE heat pump). Dividing each cost by those prices gives the heat each pool needed: 284.8 MMBtu for Miami at 80 F uncovered and 58.4 MMBtu covered (PC&S calculation).

The heat pump table implies loads 8.4% to 14.5% lower than the gas table for the same city, so the two DOE tables agree within 15% (PC&S calculation). This report uses the gas-table loads.

At 2025 Florida prices the Miami example costs $8,541 a year with gas and $2,544 with a heat pump uncovered, or $1,752 and $522 covered (PC&S calculation). The Boston example (May to August) costs $3,745 with a heat pump uncovered and $586 covered at 2025 Massachusetts prices (PC&S calculation).

How the cost to heat a pool changed from 2025 to 2026

Both fuels got more expensive. Electricity prices rose more broadly across states, while gas prices moved in both directions, so the heat pump’s cost advantage held in most states.

From July 2025 to July 2026 the US cost of delivered gas heat rose 4.0% and the cost of heat pump heat rose 4.9% (EIA gas prices and EIA electricity prices; PC&S calculation). From 2024 to 2025 the annual-average figures rose 5.8% for gas and 5.0% for heat pumps (PC&S calculation).

Gas heat cost rose July on July in 30 of 44 jurisdictions with data; the largest increases were in DC (22.7%) and Michigan (22.1%), and the largest drop in New Mexico (16.5%) (PC&S calculation). Heat pump heat cost rose in 45 of 51 jurisdictions, led by Hawaii (22.0%) (PC&S calculation).

For the typical US gas-heated pool in Scenario A, the move from 2024 to 2025 prices added $32 to a gas season and $16 to a heat pump season (PC&S calculation).

US gas pool heat cost moved from $14.00 per MMBtu in January 2024 to $31.14 in July 2026, the high of the 31-month series (EIA; PC&S calculation). Pool heating happens mostly in the months when the residential gas average is highest.

Propane, electric resistance and solar compared with gas and heat pumps

Propane and electric resistance heaters deliver the most expensive pool heat in this comparison, and solar avoids fuel cost but carries an upfront system cost. The matrix lines up each method on the same delivered-heat basis.

Residential propane averaged $2.553 per gallon in the US from October 2025 to March 2026, 1.5% below the previous winter (EIA). At EIA’s 91,452 Btu per gallon and 82% efficiency, that is $34.04 per MMBtu delivered, ranging from $21.22 in Iowa to $62.23 in Florida across 38 surveyed states (PC&S calculation). A heat pump at 2025 prices was cheaper per delivered Btu in all 38 (PC&S calculation).

An electric resistance heater converts each kWh to 3,412 Btu, so heat cost $50.7 per MMBtu at the 2025 US average electricity price, about five times the heat pump figure (PC&S calculation). DOE puts installed solar pool heating at $2,500 to $4,000 with a payback of 1 to 7 years, from an undated page (DOE).

How much a pool cover cuts the cost to heat a pool

Evaporation is the largest heat loss from a pool, and a cover stops most of it. DOE’s general estimate is a 50% to 70% saving; its own city tables imply more.

Each pound of 80 F water that evaporates takes 1,048 Btu of heat out of a pool, against 1 Btu to warm a pound of water by 1 F (DOE). DOE calls covering a pool when not in use the single most effective way to cut heating cost and puts the saving at 50% to 70% (DOE).

Covers also cut make-up water by 30% to 50% and chemical use by 35% to 60% (DOE). A transparent bubble cover may reduce the pool’s solar gain by 5% to 15%, and an opaque cover by 20% to 40% (DOE).

In DOE’s city tables at 80 F, the covered pool used 76.2% (Seattle) to 92.1% (Denver) less heat than the uncovered pool (PC&S calculation). Applied to the typical US gas-heated pool, the 50% to 70% range saves $291 to $407 a season with gas and $164 to $229 with a heat pump at 2025 prices (PC&S calculation).

Pool temperature matters too: DOE says each degree of extra warmth costs 10% to 30% more energy (DOE).

How long it takes to heat a pool with gas or a heat pump

Heat-up time is set by the water’s mass and the heater’s output. A gas heater raises a pool several times faster than a standard heat pump, which is why DOE describes gas as suited to pools used only now and then.

A 1,000 sq ft pool with a 5 ft average depth (scenario inputs) holds 5,000 cubic feet of water weighing 311,500 lb at 70 F (USGS). One Btu raises one pound of water by 1 F (EIA), so a 10 F rise needs 3.12 MMBtu before losses (PC&S calculation).

A gas heater with 300,000 Btu per hour of output, within DOE’s 75,000 to 450,000 range, would need about 1.04 hours per degree, or 10.4 hours for 10 F, ignoring losses (PC&S calculation). Heat pumps at DOE’s standard 125,000 and 75,000 Btu sizes would need 2.49 and 4.15 hours per degree, or 24.9 to 41.5 hours for 10 F (PC&S calculation).

The energy for that 10 F rise costs about $56.25 with gas and $31.59 with a heat pump at 2025 US average prices (PC&S calculation). DOE’s sizing rule, pool area x temperature rise x 12, targets a 1 F to 1.25 F rise per hour; for a 1,000 sq ft pool and a 20 F rise it gives 240,000 Btu per hour (DOE; PC&S calculation).

Federal pool heater efficiency standards and the 2028 deadline

The efficiency figures in this report rest on federal rules. Gas pool heaters have had an 82% thermal efficiency floor since 2013, and new standards covering electric heaters for the first time apply from May 30, 2028.

• Gas-fired pool heaters made on or after April 16, 2013 and before May 30, 2028 must reach at least 82% thermal efficiency (10 CFR 430.32(k)).
• Gas-fired and electric pool heaters made on or after May 30, 2028 must meet integrated thermal efficiency standards set as formulas of input capacity or active electrical power (eCFR).
• DOE published the final rule on May 30, 2023, effective July 31, 2023 (88 FR 34624; DOE).
• DOE estimated national full-fuel-cycle energy savings of 0.70 quads over 2028 to 2057 (Federal Register).
• DOE projected electric resistance heaters at 9.2% of the electric pool heater market in 2021 and 8.8% in 2028 (Federal Register).
• On Sept 9, 2025 DOE removed added certification reporting for integrated thermal efficiency after a Congressional Review Act resolution; the eCFR as of October 2026 still lists the May 30, 2028 standards (Federal Register).

Which fuels US pool owners use to heat a pool

Most US pools are not heated at all, and most heated pools are heated for only part of the year. Gas remains the most common heating fuel.

In 2024, 9.6 million primary US homes had a swimming pool and 3.44 million heated it (EIA RECS 2024). Natural gas heated 1.51 million pools, electricity 1.27 million, propane 0.28 million and some other fuel 0.38 million (EIA).

Of heated pools, 2.42 million were heated 0 to 3 months a year, 0.81 million 4 to 7 months and 0.21 million 8 to 12 months (EIA). For the size of the installed base, see our count of swimming pools in the US; for local season length, see pool season length by city.

More data reports on pool ownership and costs are in the PC&S research library.

Scenarios we modeled

Download the calculation sheet (CSV)

What the comparison shows

• A gas pool heater at the 82% federal minimum efficiency delivered heat for $31.14 per million Btu (MMBtu) at the US average July 2026 residential gas price of $26.45 per thousand cubic feet (EIA).
• A heat pump at a COP of 5.0 delivered the same heat for $10.73 per MMBtu at the US average July 2026 residential electricity price of 18.31 cents per kWh (EIA; PC&S calculation).
• In July 2026 a heat pump was cheaper per delivered Btu in all 44 jurisdictions (43 states and DC) with an EIA gas price, and in 41 of 44 even at a cold-climate COP of 3.76 (PC&S calculation).
• A typical US gas-heated pool, using 39.335 MMBtu of gas a year in the 2020 RECS, would cost $582 a season with gas and $327 with a heat pump at 2025 average prices (PC&S calculation).
• A pool cover can save 50% to 70% of heating cost (DOE), which would bring the typical US season to $175 to $291 with gas and $98 to $164 with a heat pump (PC&S calculation).
• The US cost of gas pool heat rose 4.0% from July 2025 to July 2026 and the cost of heat pump heat rose 4.9% (EIA gas prices and EIA electricity prices; PC&S calculation).
• Of 3.44 million US homes with a heated pool in 2024, 43.9% heated with natural gas, 36.9% with electricity and 8.1% with propane (EIA RECS 2024).
• Gas-fired pool heaters must meet an 82% thermal efficiency minimum until May 30, 2028, when new integrated thermal efficiency standards for gas and electric pool heaters take effect (10 CFR 430.32(k)).

Results

1. The US average residential natural gas price was $26.45 per Mcf in July 2026, up from $25.44 in July 2025 (EIA).
2. The US average residential electricity price was 18.31 cents per kWh in July 2026, up from 17.45 cents in July 2025 (EIA).
3. Delivered gas pool heat cost $31.14 per MMBtu in July 2026 against $18.06 on 2025 full-year average prices, because US residential gas prices peak in summer (EIA; PC&S calculation).
4. Heat pump pool heat cost $10.73 per MMBtu at July 2026 US prices and $10.14 at 2025 average prices, assuming a COP of 5.0 (DOE table assumption; PC&S calculation).
5. On 2025 average prices a heat pump was cheaper per delivered Btu in 44 of 45 jurisdictions with gas data; Alaska was the exception, at $15.26 for gas against $15.29 for a heat pump (EIA 2025 gas prices and EIA 2025 electricity prices; PC&S calculation).
6. In July 2026 heat pump heat cost as little as 18.2% of gas heat in Oklahoma and as much as 82.1% in Alaska, with a median of 36.4% across 44 jurisdictions (PC&S calculation).
7. Hawaii had the most expensive pool heat in July 2026: $77.36 per MMBtu from gas and $28.14 from a heat pump (EIA gas prices and EIA electricity prices; PC&S calculation).
8. Households that heated a pool with natural gas used an average of 39.335 MMBtu of gas and spent $427 on it in 2020 in the US (EIA RECS 2020).
9. For a typical gas-heated pool at 2025 prices, the gas season cost ranged from $243 in Idaho to $1,654 in Hawaii, and the heat pump season cost from $186 in Idaho to $695 in Massachusetts (PC&S calculation).
10. Re-priced at 2025 Arizona prices, DOE’s full-season Phoenix example (1,000 sq ft pool at 80 F, March to October) costs $1,595 with a heat pump uncovered and $151 covered (DOE; PC&S calculation).
11. In DOE’s 13-city tables a cover cut heating cost by 76.2% (Seattle) to 92.1% (Denver), above DOE’s general 50% to 70% estimate (DOE; PC&S calculation).
12. Residential propane averaged $2.553 per gallon from October 2025 to March 2026 in the US, equal to $34.04 per MMBtu of delivered pool heat at 82% efficiency (EIA; PC&S calculation).
13. Only 35.8% of the 9.6 million US homes with a pool heated it in 2024, and 70.3% of heated pools were heated for three months or less (EIA RECS 2024).
14. DOE projected that its 2023 pool heater standards save electric pool heater buyers $1,130 on average over the product life, with a 0.5-year payback, against $80 and 2.3 years for gas-fired heaters, in 2021 dollars (Federal Register).

Questions owners ask

Prices and rules used

• 2026-09-30EIA released July 2026 state residential natural gas prices; seven states (CT, FL, KS, LA, NH, OH, WV) show no July value (EIA).
• 2026-09-24EIA’s Electric Power Monthly added July 2026 state residential electricity prices; the US average reached 18.31 cents per kWh (EIA).
• 2026-04-01EIA published its last weekly residential propane prices of the 2025 to 2026 heating season (week of March 30, 2026); collection resumes in October 2026 (EIA).
• 2026-03EIA’s first 2024 RECS tables counted 3.44 million US homes with a heated pool, with a split by heating fuel (EIA).
• 2025-09-09DOE rescinded added certification reporting for pool heater integrated thermal efficiency after a Congressional Review Act resolution; the May 30, 2028 efficiency standards remain in 10 CFR 430.32(k) (Federal Register; eCFR).
• 2026-10-04DOE’s Energy Saver pool heater and pool cover pages returned a page-not-found error on energy.gov when checked; this report cites archived copies from January 1, 2026 (archived DOE page).

More questions

Evidence tiers

Tier 1: primary and government sources (19)

• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Natural Gas Navigator: Average Residential Price by State, Monthly (data through July 2026)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Natural Gas Navigator: Average Residential Price by State, Annual (data through 2025)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (Sept 24, 2026 release, July 2026 data)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Electric Power Monthly, February 2026 archive, Table 5.6.B (full year 2025 and 2024)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Weekly Heating Oil and Propane Prices: Residential Propane by State
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Heating Oil and Propane Update
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Energy Explained: British thermal units (Btu)
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey: consumption and expenditures tables CE5.2, CE5.4, CE5.8
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey: housing characteristics Table HC2.1 (preliminary)
• U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Saver: Gas Pool Heaters (archived Jan 1, 2026)
• U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Saver: Heat Pump Swimming Pool Heaters (archived Jan 1, 2026)
• U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Saver: Solar Swimming Pool Heaters (archived Jan 1, 2026)
• U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Saver: Swimming Pool Covers (archived Jan 1, 2026)
• U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Saver: Managing Swimming Pool Temperature for Energy Efficiency (archived Jan 1, 2026)
• U.S. Department of Energy: Appliance and Equipment Standards: Consumer Pool Heaters
• Office of the Federal Register: 10 CFR 430.32(k), Energy conservation standards: pool heaters (eCFR)
• U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Pool Heaters, final rule, 88 FR 34624 (May 30, 2023)
• U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register: Certification, Labeling and Enforcement Provisions, final rule, 90 FR 43371 (Sept 9, 2025)
• U.S. Geological Survey: Water Science School: Water Density

References

1. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural Gas Navigator: Average Residential Price by State, Monthly (data through July 2026). Accessed 2026-10-04.
2. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural Gas Navigator: Average Residential Price by State, Annual (data through 2025). Accessed 2026-10-04.
3. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (Sept 24, 2026 release, July 2026 data). Accessed 2026-10-04.
4. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Electric Power Monthly, February 2026 archive, Table 5.6.B (full year 2025 and 2024). Accessed 2026-10-04.
5. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Weekly Heating Oil and Propane Prices: Residential Propane by State. Accessed 2026-10-04.
6. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Heating Oil and Propane Update. Accessed 2026-10-04.
7. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Energy Explained: British thermal units (Btu). Accessed 2026-10-04.
8. U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey: consumption and expenditures tables CE5.2, CE5.4, CE5.8. Accessed 2026-10-04.
9. U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey: housing characteristics Table HC2.1 (preliminary). Accessed 2026-10-04.
10. U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Saver: Gas Pool Heaters (archived Jan 1, 2026). Accessed 2026-10-04.
11. U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Saver: Heat Pump Swimming Pool Heaters (archived Jan 1, 2026). Accessed 2026-10-04.
12. U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Saver: Solar Swimming Pool Heaters (archived Jan 1, 2026). Accessed 2026-10-04.
13. U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Saver: Swimming Pool Covers (archived Jan 1, 2026). Accessed 2026-10-04.
14. U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Saver: Managing Swimming Pool Temperature for Energy Efficiency (archived Jan 1, 2026). Accessed 2026-10-04.
15. U.S. Department of Energy. Appliance and Equipment Standards: Consumer Pool Heaters. Accessed 2026-10-04.
16. Office of the Federal Register. 10 CFR 430.32(k), Energy conservation standards: pool heaters (eCFR). Accessed 2026-10-04.
17. U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Pool Heaters, final rule, 88 FR 34624 (May 30, 2023). Accessed 2026-10-04.
18. U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Register. Certification, Labeling and Enforcement Provisions, final rule, 90 FR 43371 (Sept 9, 2025). Accessed 2026-10-04.
19. U.S. Geological Survey. Water Science School: Water Density. Accessed 2026-10-04.