A key point to understand about a heat pump is that it can move a lot more (heat) energy than the equivalent it consumes. One joule of pumping could get up to s

A key point to understand about a heat pump is that it can move a lot more (heat) energy than the equivalent it consumes. One joule of pumping could get up to six joules of heat moved[0] - so it could be represented as being 600% efficient. Burning gas can only generate a maximum of one joule of heat for every joule consumed (i.e. 100% efficient). Getting six joules requires favourable conditions and a good setup, but the normal expected efficiency is considerably above 100%. Gas is (normally - I'm on a variable tariff and being paid to consume electricity at the moment) cheaper than electricity per joule, but not so much that it works out cheaper than a heat pump to achieve the same effect. [0] https://www.eec.org.au/for-energy-users/technologies-2/heat-pumps https://www.eec.org.au/for-energy-users/technologies-2/heat-...