Electric Heat Pump Versus Natural Gas Furnace

Heat pumps don t generate heat they transfer it.

Electric heat pump versus natural gas furnace.

Gas furnaces are not always more efficient than heat pumps however. Gas heat pumps differ from electric heat pumps in these ways. Heat pumps are more energy efficient than furnaces because transferring heat is easier than making it. Under ideal conditions a heat pump can transfer 300 percent more energy than it consumes.

Gas heat pumps also called absorption heat pumps run on a natural gas engine. 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. In contrast a high efficiency gas furnace is about 90 percent efficient. These savings are somewhat offset by the higher purchasing and installation costs of a heat pump.

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. Gas energy can be less wasteful than electric heat pumps if you live in an area where natural gas is affordable. It does not use a fuel to create heat and so is much more efficient that other options including natural gas heaters. They don t use refrigerants like electric heat pumps.

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. A water heat pump will only use around 190 worth of energy per year almost half of what a natural gas heater must use.