NEW YORK- Heating an average New York home from October through March would cost an estimated $790 using natural gas, compared with $1,100 for a heat pump and $3,300 for electric resistance heating, according to a new analysis by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
The estimates compare the cost of supplying the same amount of heat through three systems and do not include the cost of purchasing or installing equipment.
The Empire Center calculated the estimates using natural gas and electricity prices from the previous year reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, along with heating degree-day data from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The analysis assumes a home requires 40 million British thermal units of heat over the six-month period.
Zilvinas Silenas, President of the Empire Center, said the figures show that switching from natural gas to electric heating could increase household energy costs.
“Replacing natural gas with electricity for home heating could add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to New Yorkers’ energy bills,” Silenas said.
The report comes amid debate over policies intended to shift buildings away from fossil fuels and toward electric heating systems. The center opposes replacing natural gas with electricity for home heating, arguing that the change could increase costs for households.
The analysis also notes that equipment expenses are not included. Depending on the system and installation requirements, heat pumps and other heating equipment can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
According to the Empire Center’s latest Energy Data Bulletin, New York residential natural gas prices were 17 percent above the national average and 7 percent higher than the previous year.
Earlier data from the center showed that residential electricity prices in New York were 63 percent above the national average and 14 percent higher than the previous year.
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