Should I Get a Heat Pump or Furnace?

As a homeowner, you want your home to be comfortable throughout the winter. When deciding how to heat your home, it often comes down to whether you should buy a heat pump or furnace. What’s the difference between the two?

What Is a Furnace?

Furnaces use a fuel to produce hot air. The fuel is commonly natural gas. There’s a burner that burns the gas, a heat exchanger to transfer the heat, and a blower that distributes it throughout your home.

Furnace Positives

A furnace will heat your home more quickly than a heat pump. As they’re only used when it’s cold outside, they have longer lifespans than heat pumps. While they need annual maintenance, furnaces don’t need as much maintenance as a heat pump.

Furnace Negatives

Furnaces are more costly to operate than a heat pump. They also generate carbon monoxide, which could leak into your home if the furnace isn’t properly installed.

What Is a Heat Pump?

Heat pumps don’t use a fuel to produce heat. Instead, they use electricity to transfer heat between a cool space and a warm one. Unlike a furnace, a heat pump can cool your home in the winter.

Heat Pump Positives

Heat pumps are very energy efficient and environmentally friendly. If you have a heat pump, you don’t need to have an air conditioner to cool your home in the summer. Since they use electricity, they don’t produce carbon monoxide.

Heat Pump Negatives

Heat pumps lose efficiency when it gets below freezing. They take longer to heat your home than a furnace does. Since they operate throughout the year, they typically have shorter lifespans than furnaces.

Aircon Heating & Cooling Inc. in Las Cruces, NM, installs, repairs, and tunes up furnaces, heat pumps, and air conditioners. Our team also installs and repairs thermostats. We even have products and services to improve your home’s indoor air quality. Get in touch with our team today to find out more.