In winter, you’ve two options to heat your home and bring comfort. One is a heat pump, and another is a gas furnace. But the mechanism of the heat pump and the gas furnace is completely different from each other. Also, both the HVAC equipment has specific pros and cons. You’ll hear a lot of information filled with myths and truths regarding heat pumps and gas furnaces. But you need to identify which are truths and which are myths. In this article, I’ll tell you about the myths of a gas furnace and heat pumps to help you choose between Gas Furnace and Heat Pump for your home HVAC needs. 

4 Myths of Heat Pumps vs. Gas Furnaces

1.    Heat Pump is Just Air Conditioner

Heat pumps and air conditioners work almost similarly, but their function differs from one another, and their usage is also different. An air conditioner pulls out the hot and humid air from your house to outdoor. On the other hand, a heat pump pulls the hot air from outside to your home and makes the air inside warm and comfortable for you. Heat pumps have an air handler, which is located in the heat pump HVAC equipment. When the heat pump pulls the hot air from outside, the air goes through this air handler. The air handler has a coil and a heat strip inside it. When the air passes through the air handler, the coil heats the air, and the nearby fan circulates the heated air in your room. This is how a heat pump works.

So, the main function of a heat pump is completely different from an air conditioner.

2.    Gas Furnaces Heat Your Home More

Heat pumps are a great way to heat your home. Heat pumps use electricity to heat your home. On the other hand, a gas furnace uses natural gas to produce heat in your house. A heat pump uses less electricity compared to the heat it produces. That makes a heat pump very energy-efficient. If you live in a place where the price of electricity is lower than natural gas, you should use heat pumps rather than a gas furnace. Gas furnaces can’t produce that much heat compared to a heat pump. Again, if you’re thinking about saving money on heating bills, you should go blindly for heat pumps as heat pumps are the cheapest way to heat your home and office.

So, this myth is also debunked.

3.    Gas Furnace is Always a Go to Option

To install a gas furnace in your house, you need gas lines connecting to your house or office. If your house doesn’t have a gas line, you cannot install a gas furnace in your house. Also, the price of natural gas fluctuates from states to states in the US. If you live in a city where the gas price is higher than electricity, you shouldn’t go for a gas furnace.

Again, when you use a gas furnace, the temperature in your house rises faster. As a result, you’ll have cold spots in your house, and there’ll be an uneven distribution of heat in your house. Besides, you may face a dry skin problem when you use a gas furnace in your house.

Gas furnace sometimes produces overpowering of heating when the temperature is between 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Also, when you use a gas furnace, there’s a high chance of producing carbon monoxide in your house or office. Carbon monoxides are very dangerous to health. When the carbon monoxide is produced, you’ll have a problem breathing, and if you stay in that kind of place for a long time, there’s a high chance of getting lung cancer.

If you live in the southern parts of the US, where the temperature rarely goes under freezing point, you can use a heat pump. In the southern part, the price of electricity is relatively lower than natural gas. So, if you use a heat pump instead of a gas furnace, it’ll save you money, and your health will be in good shape.

So, this myth is also debunked.

4.    Heat Pumps aren’t Energy-Efficient Compared to Gas Furnaces

In most of the areas in the US, natural gas is cheaper than electricity. But if you live in those states where the temperature rarely goes under freezing point and stays between 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you should use a heat pump as heat pumps are more energy-efficient and cost-effective compared to gas furnaces in those situations.

This myth is also busted.

See the summary infographic here – Heat Pump vs. Gas Furnace Myths [Infographic]

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