Leaving Oil
Independent guide. Listed installers may pay to be listed. Estimates only, not quotes.
Massachusetts, independent, weatherization first

Heating oil is at $6.08 a gallon. What would a heat pump cost you instead?

The state’s average retail price was $6.08 on 09/28/26, up 73% from a year earlier (Mass. DOER). Put in your own gallons and see an estimate of this winter’s oil bill against a heat pump, the Mass Save rebate, and the steps that come first.

Run the numbersWhy weatherization comes first

Your oil bill vs a heat pump: an estimate

Change anything. Every input has its source underneath, and every output is an estimate, not a quote.

Rule of thumb, not an official figure: about 0.5, 0.4 or 0.3 gallons per sq ft per year for older, mid and newer homes. Your delivery tickets are far better. Switch to “I know my gallons” and use those.

Default: Massachusetts average retail heating oil, $6.08/gal on 09/28/26 (DOER survey, excludes cash discounts; the 10th to 90th percentile was $5.65 to $6.66). Source: Mass. DOER. Your dealer’s price will differ.
Check your electric bill. Municipal light customers are not eligible for Mass Save heat pump rebates. Mass Save: air source heat pumps.
Default: Massachusetts average residential price, 30.49 cents, July 2026. Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly. Your bill is the better number.
Heat pump and system assumptions (all editable)
Our assumption. Older boilers and furnaces are often 70 to 85 percent. The label on the unit or an assessor can tell you.
Our assumption. 2.5 means 2.5 units of heat per unit of electricity over a Massachusetts winter. Cold-climate units run higher in mild weather and lower in deep cold. Ask for a Manual J load calculation and the installer’s expected seasonal figure.
100% for a whole-home system. For partial-home, 50 to 70% is typical; ask your installer.
Default 0, to stay conservative. Mass Save says insulation and air sealing can lower heating and cooling costs by up to 15%. Source: Mass Save: home energy assessments.
Seasonal rates, Nov 1 to Apr 30, for homes heating with heat pumps, from the lower base distribution charge (and Eversource’s lower transmission charge). Auto-filled from the utility above: National Grid 4.24, Eversource 7.27, Unitil 6.54 cents. Set to 0 to ignore. The DPU is reviewing deeper discounts for winter 2026 to 2027, so this may change. Source: Mass.gov heat pump rates (we computed the differences).
Install cost and rebate
Starts at about 1 ton per 500 sq ft. The real size comes from a heating load calculation. Rebates are paid per ton of cooling capacity (AHRI capacity divided by 12,000 Btu).
Default: the $22,000 average whole-home installed cost in Mass Save’s own example (based on 2022 program data, so today’s quotes may differ). Get 2 to 3 quotes. Source: Mass Save: air source heat pumps.
Mass Save’s whole-home rule: built in 2000 or later, or an assessment recommends under $1,000 of weatherization, or recommendations from 2013 or later are completed. Otherwise you may be offered the lower partial-home amount. Source: Mass Save: air source heat pumps.
Estimates only

This year, running costs

Oil today
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Heat pump
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Estimated savings per year

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Heat your home needs (est.)
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Heat pump electricity (est.)
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Installed cost (your input)
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Mass Save rebate (est.)
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Net cost after rebate
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Simple payback (est.)
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If oil falls back to last winter’s $4.09
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Heat is converted at 138,500 Btu per gallon of heating oil and 3,412 Btu per kWh (EIA Btu conversions). Last winter’s $4.09 is DOER’s 2025/26 season average. The 0% Mass Save HEAT Loan covers up to $25,000 for weatherization, heat pumps and related work (Mass Save: 0% financing); it is not subtracted above. Weather, usage and prices change, so actual results will differ.

Get matched with an installer that calls back

The order that works

  1. Get a no-cost Home Energy Assessment. Mass Save lists 75 to 100 percent off approved insulation and no-cost targeted air sealing, and the assessment unlocks the whole-home heat pump rebate. Weatherization first.
  2. Check your electrical panel and service. A heat pump adds load. Your installer will check whether the panel has room; ask them to put any panel work in the quote, because it is not part of the rebate.
  3. Get 2 to 3 quotes from a Heat Pump Installer Network contractor. Only network contractors qualify for the rebate. Ask for a heating load calculation. What it costs.
  4. Deal with the oil tank last. Once the new system is proven through a cold snap, plan the tank (keep as backup, or remove). Ask your local fire department what permit removal needs.

What we know, and how we know it

$2,650
per ton, up to $8,500: Mass Save whole-home heat pump rebate for oil, propane or electric resistance homes, 2026

Mass Save: air source heat pumps

0% up to $25,000
Mass Save HEAT Loan for weatherization, heat pumps and more

Mass Save: 0% financing

22.4%
of Massachusetts homes heat with fuel oil, kerosene or similar (about 625,000 homes), ACS 2020 to 2024

Census ACS 2024 5-year

We read mass.gov and eia.gov directly. masssave.com blocks automated readers, so Mass Save figures come from dated Internet Archive copies of the official pages; the sources page says which is which. Confirm on masssave.com before you commit.

Town pages

Ten oil-heavy towns within about 15 miles of Melrose, each with Census heating-fuel and housing-age figures, the electric utility, and the local program that actually applies.

Who actually calls back

Most installers are booked out, and many do not return calls fast. We will list installers only after they answer real test calls. How the callback test works. No installers are listed yet.

Get matched with an installer that calls back

No installers are listed yet: we are first testing who actually answers the phone (how that works). Send your details and we will reply by email to say who we would match you with once the first installers pass the test. Independent guide; listed installers may pay to be listed.