Electric Heat Pump Versus Gas Furnace

Homeowners can choose between several different heating options but the decision often comes down to two either gas or a heat pump.

Electric heat pump versus gas furnace.

There is however a third option when it comes to electric vs. If you live in a cold area a gas furnace may be the best choice for your home whereas a heat pump will be more cost effective in a hot climate. When it comes to heating most homes have a choice between a heat pump or a furnace. A heat pump is 100 electrical it doesn t burn fuel like a furnace does so it can t be rated with afue.

The burner has the ability to produce small particles that collect and build up in the furnace. They don t use refrigerants like electric heat pumps. Under ideal conditions a heat pump can transfer 300 percent more energy than it consumes. Gas furnaces are not always more efficient than heat pumps however.

A gas furnace generates heat by burning combustible fuel such as gas or propane while an electric furnace generates heat in much the same manner. Heat pumps are more energy efficient than furnaces because transferring heat is easier than making it. Like electric heat pumps they re more efficient than furnaces in temperate climates. For gas people can choose between natural gas and propane while with a heat pump homeowners usually have both the heat pump function and the electric heating element included with the pump.

Heat pumps don t generate heat they transfer it. In contrast a high efficiency gas furnace is about 90 percent efficient. Gas systems usually last about half as long as electric systems. Electric heat pumps have a number of advantages over traditional gas furnaces but they both have good and bad points.

This mostly due to the same reasons that gas furnaces require maintenance. Gas heat pumps differ from electric heat pumps in these ways. Electric furnaces are typically only better in dry climates with hot or mixed temperatures. Electric heat pumps are more energy efficient than gas furnaces and require much less electricity to operate than electric furnaces.

Myth 4 gas furnaces are always more efficient than heat pumps gas is cheaper than electricity in most cases which makes furnaces more cost effective than electric heat pumps in areas that experience colder temperatures. Although they both accomplish the same goal of heating your home they do so in different ways. Instead it is measured the exact same way as your air conditioner using a seer value. 10 to 20 years for gas systems as opposed to 20 to 30 years for electric systems.