Is There a Clear Leader for Heating?
Each system works very differently and has its own unique pros and cons. The main difference between the two is the ability to both heat and cool your home using a single system. If you don’t mind having a separate system for cooling your home, then an electric furnace may be a great choice. An electric furnace can heat your home, but it doesn’t offer a cooling feature so you would need to have a separate cooling system.
A heat pump on the other hand can both heat and cool your home. So if you’re looking for an all-in-one heating and cooling system, a heat pump may be the right choice for you. With a heat pump, you don’t have to install and maintain two separate systems for your home. If you currently have two separate systems in your home, you may be looking to consolidate them into a single unit.
Key Differences in Heat Pumps and Electric Furnaces
Although the ability (or inability) to cool the air in your home is a key factor in choosing between an electric furnace and a heat pump, there are other pros and cons to each one. If you want to maximize energy efficiency, heat pumps are a great choice.
A heat pump uses less electricity to heat your home. And not just a little less, but a lot – up to 50% less. This is because a heat pump doesn’t have to work to create heat. Instead, it’s transferring heat into your home that already exists on the outside.
But even though heat pumps are more efficient, they can also be less reliable. That’s because on the coldest days of the year there is less heat in the air outside to bring into your home. A heat pump may not be able to heat your home to as warm of a temperature as you desire.
A furnace offers more reliable heat because it can heat the air inside the system up to 120°F. Although your indoor air will never reach that temperature, you know that you’ll have consistently warm air in your home. However, you should keep in mind that comfort comes at a cost. The much warmer temperatures that an electric furnace offers can cost you in the form of a higher energy bill each month.
