If it is time to replace your heating system, you have the choice of a heat pump or a furnace. Each brings its own advantages to your home, while each has its own drawbacks. Let’s take a look at each and see which one will work for your home.
Furnace
A furnace typically runs off of natural gas. If you have access to a gas line, you may find that heating your home with a gas furnace is the most efficient option. When the winter cold snaps come through Maryland, the heat off of a gas furnace will keep your home toasty warm.
The down side to a furnace is that it is a single-purpose system. You can only heat your home with it, for less than half the year. The rest of the time, you will need to rely on a separate cooling system for the warm summer months. So, you will need to invest in two systems, instead of one.
Heat Pump
A heat pump typically runs off of electricity. For homes that do not have access to a gas line, it offers an efficient option for keeping the home warm. A heat pump also has the advantage of cooling your home during the summer months. That way, you only have one system to worry about.
Heat pumps are not the most efficient when dealing with moderate to severe cold weather. When the colder snaps come through, the auxiliary heating coils in the heat pump will fire up to keep your home warm. These are very inefficient, taking a lot of electricity to run.
Hybrid systems
Another option to discuss with your HVAC company is a hybrid system. Some heat pumps offer the option of a gas-burning furnace built in. When the temperature dips too low, the heat pump switches from electric heat to gas heat. This offers the most efficiency
To discuss your home’s furnace and heat pump options, contact us at Coastal Heating & Air, serving Annapolis area residents.