Should You Choose A Furnace Or A Heat Pump?

If you are planning to replace your old heating system with a new one, chances are good that you're thinking about whether to go with a heat pump or a furnace. Both systems have their own pros and cons. Understanding them will help you to choose the right system for your future home heating needs.


Furnaces are the most common type of heating system in America. These systems make use of different fuels to create heat. Gas furnaces, the most common among home users, burn natural gas or propane and generates heat that eventually heats your home.

Why Buy A Furnace?

  • Great performance in any weather condition

  • Energy efficient

  • Costs less compared to heat pumps

  • Gas-powered furnaces can reduce your home heating costs since gas is cheaper than electricity that heat pumps use.

Why Not Buy A Furnace?

  • Less energy efficient compared to heat pumps

  • Less environment friendly

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are a true marvel of latest cooling/heating technology. It brings heating and cooling into one system so that you can increase or decrease indoor temperature using the same system.

Heat pumps don’t create heat. They collect heat from the outside and move it indoors so that your indoor temperature rises. They move heat from your house to the environment in summer while they move heat from outside to your home in winter. They are essentially air conditioners with a refrigeration cycle going in the reverse.

Why Buy A Heat Pump?

A heat pump can prove to be a great investment. Heat pumps are quickly becoming the first-choice heating/cooling system for home owners across the country despite being somewhat costly compared to furnace option.

  • Works round the year without requiring a lot of maintenance

  • You can save on heating as well as cooling bills.

  • Extremely environment friendly option

Why Not Buy A Heat Pump?

If you are living in an area where temperature falls below sub-zero or you have tough winters when the outside temperature is really low, using a heat pump won’t help much. It won’t be able to collect heat from outdoors when there isn’t any. It also costs more compared to a gas furnace.

  • Expensive

  • Require backup heat system for freezing cold nights

Which One Is Right For You?

Furnaces are popular with home owners due to being energy efficient and high AFUE ratings. But heat pumps are even more energy efficient, especially the new ones. Furnaces can use a wide variety of fuels to generate heat, which means you can use them almost anywhere without worrying about fuel.

On the other hand, heat pumps don’t generate heat at all. They draw the heat from the environment outside and pump it indoors. Additionally, heat pumps can also keep your home cool during warm months. If you are living in area with sub-zero temperature during long and frigid winters, a heat pump won’t work but a furnace would work as well as in any other part of the world.