Cheapest way to heat in Hawaii
Propane
$35.12 per million Btu of heat in the house.
Typical winter: a 2,000 sq ft house of average insulation in a normal Hawaii heating season. Prices as of October 26, 2026.
Cost of one million Btu of heat
Your home, your winter
Change the size and insulation to match your house. Prices are this week’s Hawaii figures.
Normal heating season in Pennsylvania: 5,700 heating degree days, so about 57 million Btu of heat to deliver.
- Natural gas $897
- Heat pump $1,412
- Propane $2,353
- Heating oil $2,928
- Electric resistance $3,530
A typical-weather season at this week’s fuel prices. Efficiencies: gas furnace 90%, propane and oil 85%, heat pump seasonal COP 2.5. How the estimate works
Hawaii’s winters
NOAA’s statewide degree-day series does not cover Hawaii, so this page cannot estimate a season’s cost. The per-Btu comparison above still applies.
What this comparison leaves out
- Equipment you already have. Switching fuels means new equipment. This page compares the cost of heat, not the cost of a new furnace, boiler or heat pump.
- Availability. Natural gas needs a utility main on your street. EIA does not survey propane or heating oil prices in Hawaii, so the regional or U.S. average stands in; local prices can differ.
- Heat pumps in deep cold. A heat pump’s efficiency falls as it gets colder. The seasonal COP of 2.5 used here suits a modern unit in a moderate climate; older units, or cold-climate homes with resistance backup, do worse.
- Your rate structure. Gas and electricity prices here are state averages including fixed charges. Each extra unit on your bill may cost a little less.
