What is the difference between a Heat Pump and a Gas Furnace?
A gas furnace and a heat pump can both keep your home warm, but how they do it couldn’t be more different. Gas furnaces burn natural gas or propane to create heat, which is then pushed through your ducts. It’s a process that relies on combustion—burning fuel inside your home to stay comfortable. It works, but it’s energy-intensive, expensive to run, and adds carbon emissions with every cycle. Most homes in North America still rely on this outdated model, even as better options are readily available.
Heat pumps take a smarter, cleaner approach. Instead of creating heat, they move it. Using a small amount of electricity, a heat pump captures heat from the air outside—even in freezing weather—and transfers it into your home. It’s kind of like reverse air conditioning, and in warmer months, it works in reverse to cool your home. Because it’s simply relocating existing heat, not generating it from scratch, a heat pump is 2 to 5 times more efficient than a furnace. That means lower bills, less energy use, and one all-electric system that handles both heating and cooling.
Should you keep your gas furnace?
Short answer: No—and here’s why. Gas furnaces heat your home by burning fuel, an older method that wastes energy, produces emissions, and carries safety risks such as carbon monoxide leaks. They also can’t cool your home, meaning you need a separate system for summer. Modern cold-climate heat pumps work differently: instead of creating heat, they move it, delivering far higher efficiency, zero on-site emissions, and reliable performance even in freezing temperatures. With one all-electric system providing both heating and cooling, a heat pump offers a safer, cleaner, and more efficient alternative to keeping your gas furnace. With modern heat pump technology, there’s no reason to rely on outdated, combustion-based systems. Just ask someone in Norway—over 70% of homes use heat pumps, and they stay perfectly warm even through Arctic winters.
Are heat pumps more expensive than a furnace?
Yes, heat pumps may cost more upfront than a gas furnace alone. But when you factor in the cost of both a furnace and an air conditioner—which a heat pump replaces in one system—it’s a different story. And thanks to rebates, incentives, and low-interest loans available in most regions, the upfront cost of a heat pump is often even less than a full gas system and comes with AC.
Plus, heat pumps are 2 to 5 times more efficient, so you’ll spend less on energy every month—even with higher electricity rates. Over time, that adds up to real savings. The question isn’t just what costs less to install today—it’s what costs less to live with over the next 20 years.
What’s the energy efficiency difference between a heat pump and a furnace?
Heat pumps transfer heat rather than generate it, delivering 200-500% efficiency by moving 2-5 units of heat per unit of electricity consumed. Gas furnaces combust fuel to create heat, with efficiency measured by AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). Even high-efficiency furnaces at 95%+ AFUE lose energy through combustion and exhaust, so you only get 1 unit of heat per 1 unit of gas. Moving heat will always be more efficient than making it.
Is a furnace better than a heat pump in cold climates?
There’s a common myth that heat pumps can’t handle cold weather. That may have been true in the past, but today’s cold-climate heat pumps are built differently. Modern systems—like the ones Jetson installs—are designed to perform efficiently even in extreme winter conditions, operating reliably down to -22°F (-30°C). While it’s true that heat pump efficiency naturally drops as temperatures fall, these systems are still more efficient than gas furnaces in real-world use, especially when paired with smart controls and proper sizing.
Gas furnaces, by comparison, produce the same amount of heat regardless of temperature—but they do it by burning fossil fuels and wasting energy in the process. So yes, they’re consistent—but consistently inefficient. The real question for cold climates isn’t if heat pumps work (they do), it’s whether you're using the right kind. Choosing a properly sized, cold-climate model with inverter technology makes all the difference. At Jetson, we size every system for your home’s unique heat load and climate zone, ensuring you get peak performance without overpaying for power. In other words, cold isn’t the problem—outdated tech is.
Still thinking about sticking with gas? That’s like choosing a flip phone in the age of smartphones—familiar, sure, but wildly outdated. So go ahead and leave the combustion era behind. The future is electric and already on your doorstep. And yes—it’s way more comfortable.