Electric heat pumps are different from furnaces in one big way.
Electric furnace vs heat pump comparison.
In contrast a high efficiency gas furnace is about 90 percent efficient.
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.
The electric furnace should not be confused with an electric heat pump 1 which produces both cooling and heating.
Both the gas and electric furnace units discussed here produce only heat but in two different ways.
Depending on how cold your winters are you may not use this often.
You could also choose a geothermal heat pump and save a lot of money on your power bills.
Gas furnaces are not always more efficient than heat pumps however.
A heat pump uses less electricity than a typical electric furnace.
Because heat pumps do not create heat they generally use less energy than systems like furnaces.
With some heating appliances such as woodburners the further you move away from the heat source the less heat you will feel whilst others provide only spot heating i e.
A key benefit of heat pumps is higher comfort levels consumer states heat pumps use a fan to distribute the warmed air the heating spreads more evenly than most.
There is no pilot light or combustion involved.
In the heat pump vs the electric furnace the heat pump should still be ideal for you.
The biggest pro that a furnace has is that it will heat your home in any condition regardless of outside temperature.
A traditional gas or electric furnace lasts about 15 years but before you purchase a new one consider if a heat pump would be a better choice.
Geothermal systems are very efficient.
Under ideal conditions a heat pump can transfer 300 percent more energy than it consumes.
In order to find the right furnace for your home it is very important to choose carefully between the electric and gas options.
If it is 50 degrees out or 10 a furnace will burn it s fuel and heat your home.
A compressor takes heat from the outside and uses a refrigerant to convert it into gas.
Furnaces create heat whereas heat pumps take heat from outside of your home and pump it inside hence the name.
Heat pumps are devices that transfer heat from one place to another.
Heat pumps are more energy efficient than furnaces because transferring heat is easier than making it.
One last consideration with a heat pump vs an electric furnace.
If you have a heat pump that uses electric backup heat it probably uses electric heat strips which use a lot of electricity.