{"id":2794,"date":"2023-07-24T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/?p=2794"},"modified":"2023-07-24T09:50:50","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T13:50:50","slug":"furnaces-vs-heat-pumps-which-is-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/heating\/furnaces-vs-heat-pumps-which-is-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Furnaces vs. Heat Pumps: Which is Right for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/istock-1148634816-3000_1920x1280-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re ready to get rid of that old heater and install a solution for the next 10-15 years. You\u2019re not limited to using the same type of heater you had before, though, and that\u2019s what many homeowners don\u2019t realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furnaces remain to be one of the most common types of home heating systems, but they\u2019re not your only option. When it comes to <a href=\"\/heating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heating installation<\/a>, you can opt for a heat pump instead. But what are heat pumps, and are they actually an upgrade? Let\u2019s talk about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros and Cons of Furnaces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Furnaces have massive upsides, but there\u2019s also safety concerns. It\u2019s important to know about everything they offer, and if their downsides are deal-breakers for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Effective: <\/strong>Furnaces are effective. That\u2019s different from efficient, mind you, but they operate in extremely low temperatures with little to no worry.<\/li><li><strong>Integration-Ready: <\/strong>Furnaces can easily be integrated into existing central air conditioning ductwork. If you already have ductwork, it helps the process along.<\/li><li><strong>Different Options: <\/strong>You have different kinds of fuel options available for furnaces, from electric to propane, natural gas and more.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While furnaces have their utility, there\u2019s some issues with combustion-based heating systems as a whole. Let\u2019s go over those before you decide which system works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Safety Hazards: <\/strong>Combustion-based systems create carbon monoxide, a lethal gas that can leak into your home and contributes to hundreds of annual deaths in the United States.<\/li><li><strong>Lower Efficiency: <\/strong>AFUE is a rating system to determine how efficient the fuel-to-output ratio is. Even high-end furnaces can\u2019t achieve 100% AFUE, but electric heaters can.<\/li><li><strong>More Tasks: <\/strong>Because we have a heat exchanger, pilot light, and more components as well, furnaces have more maintenance tasks than electric heaters like heat pumps.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pros and Cons of Heat Pumps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Heat pumps are very different from furnaces. Partially because they don\u2019t just replace your heater\u2013but they can even replace your air conditioner. This is how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>High Energy Efficiency: <\/strong>Heat pumps simply use less energy than furnaces. In many cases, you can improve your efficiency by up to 50% with a heat pump over a furnace.<\/li><li><strong>Replaces Heater and Air Conditioner: <\/strong>Heat pumps also cool your home. You only have one machine to handle both outputs, so it\u2019s less to worry about throughout the year.<\/li><li><strong>Environmentally Friendly: <\/strong>Heat pumps use less energy, so your carbon footprint is lowered. It also helps with lower bills, too.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Heat pumps are pretty great, but nothing is perfect. There are a few caveats you should keep in mind before you decide to get one installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>High Upfront Cost: <\/strong>They aren\u2019t cheap. Because they\u2019re high-efficiency and replace both your AC and heater, they can cost a pretty penny.<\/li><li><strong>Doesn\u2019t Work Well in Extreme Cold: <\/strong>Compared to furnaces, heat pumps have an operability range where they simply don\u2019t work. That\u2019s around 5\u00b0 F.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Really, You Can\u2019t Go Wrong With Either One<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Furnaces are excellent in the coldest winters, but have safety concerns. Heat pumps come with great energy efficient benefits, but they\u2019re expensive. You can\u2019t go wrong with either one, it\u2019s just a matter of what makes the most sense for your family. We can help you figure that out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Contact Polar Bear Air Conditioning &amp; Heating Inc. today<\/strong><\/a><strong> to schedule your heating installation as soon as possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How you heat your home matters, so how do you pick between a heat pump or a furnace? Let&#8217;s help you with that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[188,96],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2796,"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794\/revisions\/2796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.polarbearairconditioning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}