Did your heating system go out last winter? With cold weather swiftly approaching, it’s time to decide: heat pump or furnace? You may not understand the differences between these two home heating systems, but once you thoroughly explore each one, you should be able to determine which one is the best choice for your home.

Heat Pump vs. Furnace: Heat Production

Most people are more familiar with furnaces than heat pumps. A furnace generates heat in a traditional way by burning oil or natural gas and sending the resulting heat into the home. Furnaces can also be powered by electricity.

Heat pumps don’t generate heat from a fuel source. Instead, they use electricity and refrigerant to transfer heat from outdoor air to the inside. Essentially, when in heating mode, heat pumps work like an air conditioner in reverse. In fact, they even double as an air conditioner in the summer when in cooling mode.

Heat Pump vs. Furnace: Efficiency

Older furnaces were notorious for being inefficient, but new technology has resulted in impressive rates of up to 98 percent efficient. This means only 2 percent of the fuel burned escapes with combustion fumes when they’re vented to the exterior.

Because heat pumps move heat with electricity, they can be upwards of 300 percent efficient, using only one unit of electricity to move three units of heat energy. As you might imagine, performance suffers as it gets colder outside. This requires heat pumps to come with a less efficient backup heat source for when the temperature falls below freezing.

Heat Pump vs. Furnace: Which is the Best Choice?

A traditional furnace could be the best choice if you have access to natural gas. It also makes sense to choose a furnace if you recently installed a new air conditioner and don’t want to deal with adding a backup heat source.

Heat pump installation may be a better choice if you have no natural gas lines leading to your home. Electricity tends to be more expensive than natural gas, but because heat pumps work so efficiently, you’ll save money with an electric heat pump compared to an electric furnace. It’s also the more cost-effective option if you’re thinking of replacing your air conditioner as well, since the heat pump can replace this equipment.

For more help making your final decision, contact Thermo Techs AC Repair. We’ve been proudly serving San Antonio since 2008.