Is Electrification Worth It in Montana?

I'm not going to lie to you. Montana is tough.

You've got 7,000+ heating degree days, -20°F winter nights, and natural gas around $0.90/therm. This is exactly the scenario where conventional wisdom says "stick with gas." But hold on. Montana also has some of the cheapest electricity in the country ($0.11/kWh), and modern cold-climate heat pumps—the good ones—work fine down to -15°F.

This isn't a slam dunk, but it's not a no either. If your furnace is 20+ years old and you get a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat or equivalent, you'll probably break even in 8-12 years. Add the $2,000 federal tax credit and suddenly it's viable. Just don't cheap out on the equipment—that's where Montana electrification projects go sideways.