Heating With Electricity Is Much More Expensive Than Natural Gas

Heating your home with natural gas is much less expensive than electricity, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). According to the agency, average winter household costs for natural gas are less than half the cost of using propane, heating oil, or electricity, as you can see in the graph below.

The price advantage of natural gas is the reason it is more widely used than other sources of heating fuels in cold areas requiring extensive heating. Electricity is the more prevalent heating source in the Southeast because these areas are warmer than the northern parts of the Midwest. Also, natural gas more difficult to use in remote rural areas because it requires expensive up-front infrastructure. This is a key reason why North Dakota uses more electricity for heating than natural gas.

Despite the clear cost savings natural gas provides millions of families, groups like Fresh Energy want to outlaw the use of gas in Minnesota to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Several cities on the West Coast have either banned the use of natural gas in new buildings, and some have even banned the use of existing natural gas systems in homes, which will require homeowners to get expensive retrofits.

If liberal groups get their way, Minnesota families will pay hundreds of dollars more to stay warm in our brutal Minnesota winters, and low income households will be harmed the most. This is why conservative energy policies that keep prices lower for everyone are far more beneficial than liberal policies that seek to increase the cost of energy.