The big showdown 2026: Heat pump against the good old gas heating. Who wins, your wallet or your bad conscience? Here you'll get no advertising promises, but hard facts, current funding rules, and the odd aha moment. Spoiler: The heat pump wins hands down, and the state helps massively.
| Criterion | Heat Pump | Gas Heating |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | €20,000–35,000 | €5,000–12,000 |
| With 70% funding | €6,000–10,500 | No funding |
| Operating costs €/kWh | €0.086 (at JAZ 3.5) | €0.12 |
| Annual costs (150 m² house) | €1,035 | €2,160 |
Short explanation: A modern air-water heat pump gets up to 3.5 kWh of heat from 1 kWh of electricity. Therefore, the delivered heat costs only about 8.6 cents per kWh, significantly cheaper than gas. For a normal 150 m² house, you save over €1,100 in heating costs in the first year alone.
Here's where it becomes really clear:
Heat pumps emit 60–70% less CO₂ than a modern gas heating. If you power your heat pump with green electricity or your own solar system on the roof, you're practically climate neutral.
Gas heating? Pure fossil fuel. On top of that comes the CO₂ tax, which will continue to rise in 2026 and could climb to €180 per ton of CO₂ by 2030. That makes gas not only more expensive, but also increasingly unattractive.
Short version: With a heat pump, you don't just heat cheaper, you're doing something for the climate at the same time. And that without compromises on warmth.
Heat pumps: Up to 70% KfW funding via program KfW 458. That's up to €21,000 grant, and you don't have to pay that money back.
Gas heating: No more funding. From 2026, pure gas heating systems are largely out of funding. Only hybrid systems (heat pump + small gas component) get something, but significantly less than a pure heat pump.
Conclusion: Whoever installs a gas heating now not only misses out on hefty funding, but also locks in a more expensive and climate-damaging system long-term. The heat pump is the secure, future-proof choice.
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Open free calculator now →The blanket answer "heat pump or gas heating" is too short, because there are also differences among heat pumps themselves. For a well-insulated new build, the air-water heat pump is usually the first choice: affordable to buy, simple to install and efficient enough with a JAZ of 3.0 to 4.0.
On large plots, and when digging is happening anyway, a ground-source heat pump is worth a look. It reaches JAZ values of 4.0 to 5.0 and lowers running costs noticeably once more. And old buildings do not have to go without: a hybrid solution, a heat pump plus a small gas share for the coldest days, gets you through the winter cheaply and efficiently, without a full renovation first.
As clear as the result is, there are situations where switching right away is not the best move. If you have a working gas boiler that was only recently installed, do not rush the replacement. The funding is tied to the exchange, but it is not going away, and heat pumps are getting more efficient, not more expensive, over the coming years.
The building structure plays a role too. A poorly insulated old building with large windows and no underfloor heating needs higher flow temperatures, which lowers the heat pump's efficiency. That is exactly what the hybrid solution is for: the heat pump covers most of the heating load, and the small gas share only kicks in on the truly cold days. That keeps the switch economical without a full renovation first.
In the long run, however, there is no way around the heat pump. The CO2 tax keeps rising, gas prices stay volatile, and pure gas boilers receive no funding in 2026. The timing of the switch is negotiable, the direction is not.
❓ Does the heat pump really pay off more than gas?
Yes, especially 2026. With 70% funding and rising gas + CO₂ prices, it amortizes in just 4–6 years. After that, you save €1,000 or more every year.
❓ What does electricity really cost?
At a good Annual Performance Factor (JAZ) of 3.5, you only need about a third of the energy as electricity. Even at normal electricity prices, you're cheaper than with gas, with solar on the roof, it becomes a real bargain deal.
❓ May I still install a pure gas heating in 2026?
Technically yes, but you'll get no funding anymore and will pay dearly long-term. Politics is clearly set on climate-friendly heating systems.