Air Conditioner or Stove? Cost of Heating With an AC vs a Pellet, Wood or Coal Stove

Short answer: compare the cost per kWh of useful heat. For an air conditioner it is electricity price ÷ SCOP; at the EU minimum SCOP of 3.8, 1 kWh of electricity gives 3.8 kWh of heat. A minimum-efficiency pellet stove gets about 3.63 kWh from 1 kg of ENplus pellets. If pellets cost less per kilo than 0.96 kWh of electricity, the stove wins.

Current prices and types: Pellet prices → · Price list →

How do you work out the cost of heating with an air conditioner?

When heating, an air conditioner moves heat from the outdoor air indoors (a heat pump), so 1 kWh of electricity yields more than 1 kWh of heat. The instantaneous ratio is COP; the seasonal average is SCOP. The formula: cost of 1 kWh of heat = electricity unit price ÷ SCOP.

• Unit price: Tariffs are set by EPDK, the Turkish energy regulator, and change over time. Use your bill: total, taxes included, ÷ kWh consumed.
• SCOP: It is on the heating section of the energy label. Under the EU labelling regulation, heating class A+++ means SCOP 5.10 or more, A++ 4.60–5.10, A+ 4.00–4.60 and A 3.40–4.00. The EU ecodesign regulation sets a minimum SCOP of 3.8 for split units up to 12 kW (3.42 for units with a refrigerant GWP of 150 or less).

How do you work out the cost of 1 kWh from a stove?

The formula: cost of 1 kWh of useful heat = price per kg ÷ (kWh/kg × stove efficiency). If a coal sack states kcal/kg, divide by 860 first. EU Ecodesign requires at least 79% for closed pellet stoves and 65% for other closed solid-fuel stoves and cookers; per the EPA, certified pellet stoves usually reach 70–83%. We use the minimum values; if your stove's label differs, use your own figure.

Is an air conditioner or a stove cheaper?

Setting the two costs equal gives a price-free threshold: AC electricity equal to the useful heat of 1 kg of fuel = the fuel's useful heat ÷ SCOP. Multiply your bill's kWh price by this number and compare it with the fuel's price per kilo.

Example: at SCOP 3.8, 1 kg of pellets equals 0.96 kWh of electricity. An A+++ unit lowers the threshold to 0.71 kWh (favouring the AC); in hard cold with COP 1.5 it rises to 2.42 kWh (favouring the stove). For the season's quantity use the fuel calculator.

Why does an air conditioner heat less cheaply in the cold?

According to the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIF), when the source (outdoor air) temperature drops while the indoor temperature stays the same, COP drops; below 0 °C, defrosting the outdoor unit lowers COP further. In a Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) test of a cold-climate heat pump, heating COP averaged 3.0 at +4.9 °C and 1.5 at −21.1 °C; during defrost cycles the supply air temperature fell. The SCOP on the label is calculated for the EU "average" heating season (design temperature −10 °C).

Aegean coastal winters are mild: MGM data for İzmir (1938–2025) give a January mean of 8.9 °C, mean minimum 5.8 °C, record low −8.2 °C. Inland districts may differ; check MGM (the state weather service) for yours.

What else matters besides cost?

• Power cuts: An AC stops without electricity. Per the EPA, pellet stoves need power for their motorised feed and fans; gravity-fed models do not. Wood and coal stoves need none: pellet stove power consumption.
• Installation: An AC needs indoor and outdoor units, no chimney; a stove needs its own chimney: how to install a stove.
• Effort: a stove needs fuel, storage and ash removal; an AC does not.

Which one suits whom?

• Air conditioner: mild winters, no chimney, short heating hours.
• Pellet stove: long heating hours, cold mornings. With frequent power cuts, a manual model: per our product page, the Eco 8 runs on natural chimney draught without electricity.
• Wood or coal stove: for independence from electricity. Between stoves: wood or pellets, pellet stove or coal stove.
• Both: AC on mild days, stove on cold days. See also: winter saving tips.

What does it depend on?

• Electricity unit price and the fuel's price per kilo (price list).
• The unit's SCOP and outdoor temperature: COP drops in the cold.
• Stove efficiency: an old or poorly maintained stove runs below its label value.
• Fuel quality: damp wood or low-calorie coal reduces useful heat.
• The room's heat demand: for the right output see the pellet stove kW calculator.

Safety note

No fuel is smokeless; wood, coal and pellets can produce carbon monoxide when burned. The Turkish Ministry of Health recommends CO detectors where fuel-burning heaters are used. With headache, dizziness or weakness, ventilate, get outside and call 112: stove fume symptoms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Frequently asked questions

Is heating with an air conditioner expensive?

Cost = unit price ÷ SCOP; it rises as COP falls in the cold.

Is an air conditioner or a pellet stove cheaper?

At SCOP 3.8: if a kilo of pellets costs less than 0.96 kWh of electricity, the stove; otherwise the AC.

Does an air conditioner or an electric heater use less power?

The air conditioner. A resistance heater turns 1 kWh of electricity into at most 1 kWh of heat; an AC with SCOP 3.8 moves 3.8 times as much.

Which one heats during a power cut?

Wood and coal stoves and gravity-fed manual pellet stoves. Air conditioners and automatic pellet stoves stop.

Sources: EU 626/2011 Annex II, Annex VII; EU 206/2012; EU 2015/1185; ENplus ST 1001; Forest Research; EPA; IIF; NRCan; MGM; EPDK; Turkish Ministry of Health. 1 kWh = 860 kcal.