Heat pump or furnace? How to choose

Both can keep a Massachusetts home warm all winter. They do it differently, and the right choice depends on your house, your fuel and whether you also want cooling.

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A heat pump outdoor unit beside a modern home

  • Furnace

    Burns gas, oil or propane and blows the heat through ducts. Strong, hot air on the coldest nights. Heats only, so cooling needs a separate air conditioner.

  • Heat pump

    Uses electricity to move heat into the house in winter and out of it in summer. Gentler, steadier heat, plus air conditioning from the same system.

How each one heats

A furnace makes heat by burning fuel, then blows the warm air through ducts. A heat pump makes no heat at all: it moves heat that is already in the outdoor air into the house. Because moving heat takes less energy than making it, a heat pump delivers more heat than the electricity it uses.

Cold weather

A furnace puts out the same heat at 30°F as at 0°F. A heat pump's output drops as the outdoor air gets colder. Cold-climate heat pumps are built to keep heating well below freezing, but the system has to be sized for the coldest days, or it needs backup heat. That is why many Massachusetts homes keep a furnace or boiler for the coldest nights.

Running costs

It depends on what you heat with now. Compared with oil, propane or electric baseboard heat, a heat pump usually costs less to run. Compared with natural gas, it depends on local gas and electric rates and on how well the house is insulated, and it can come out close. Rebates can also lower the cost of installing a heat pump; see heat pump installation.

Comfort

Furnaces heat in strong bursts of hot air, then shut off. Heat pumps run longer at a lower temperature, so the air from the vents feels cooler to the hand while the house stays at a steadier temperature.

Cooling

A furnace only heats. A heat pump is also a full air conditioner. If your air conditioner is old, or you have none, that tips the decision toward a heat pump.

Lifespan

Furnaces commonly last about 15 to 20 years. Heat pumps, like air conditioners, commonly last about 10 to 15, partly because they work all year instead of one season.

Keeping both

A heat pump can be paired with a furnace. The heat pump heats and cools most of the year, and the furnace takes over in the deepest cold. It is a common choice when the furnace still has years left in it.

Which one fits your home?

Have a question about your system?

Call us. We will tell you what we would look at, and you get the price up front if you want a visit.

Call +1 (774) 231 8655