In this part of Texas, winters rarely get very cold. However, we do experience cold snaps frequently enough that you still need a heating system in your home. The only question is which type you should install. Two of the most popular options in this area are heat pumps and gas furnaces. The former is an all-electric option, while the latter burns natural gas for heat.
Choosing the right heating system for your home means considering multiple factors. For example, if your home lacks ductwork, a gas furnace may be prohibitively expensive. However, if you have an extremely large house, capacity considerations can make a heat pump a non-starter. To help you weigh your options, here’s everything you need to know to choose between a heat pump and a gas furnace here in Dallas-Fort Worth.
How Each System Heats: Operation & Comfort
Although a heat pump and a furnace will both heat your home, they do each do so in a distinct way. Here’s what you need to know about how they each operate and how that affects your comfort.
How a Heat Pump Heats
Among home heating systems, heat pumps are unique in that they generate no heat. Instead, they collect heat energy from the outdoor air to heat your home. That mode of operation typically sounds confusing to the uninitiated. To understand it, think of a heat pump as an air conditioner operating in reverse. Both rely on the refrigeration cycle to function. An AC collects heat in your home and expels it outside. A heat pump does the exact opposite.
You may then wonder how a heat pump can warm your home when it’s cold outside. They can do it due to a convenient aspect of thermodynamics. You see, heat energy will always spontaneously move from a warmer substance to a colder one. And although you can’t feel it, there’s plenty of heat energy in the outdoor air, even in cold temperatures. All a heat pump needs to do to tap into that energy is to make its refrigerant colder than the outdoor air. Then, the refrigerant will absorb heat, which the heat pump uses to warm up your home.
It’s important to realize, however, that heat pumps don’t output heat at high temperatures. They typically output air between 90 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit while operating in heating mode. The colder it gets outside, the lower the output temperature drops. To compensate, heat pumps run for longer periods than other heating systems. They excel at maintaining your preferred set temperature in that way. However, they’re not as adept at quickly raising indoor temperatures as other heating options.
How a Gas Furnace Heats
Understanding how gas furnaces work is far easier than grasping heat pump functionality. A gas furnace burns natural gas in a combustion chamber. As that happens, the resulting flue gases reach temperatures around 250 degrees. Those gases travel through a heat exchanger, while a blower fan pushes air from your home past it. Since the air temperature is lower than that of the heat exchanger, the air absorbs heat in the process. That cools the flue gases somewhat, and they travel out of your home as exhaust.
The high temperatures achieved through combustion lead to high output air temperatures. Air leaving a typical gas furnace will reach temperatures between 140 and 170 degrees. As a result, gas furnaces excel at quickly changing your home’s temperature. So, they’re perfect for driving the chill out of the air during an unexpected cold snap.
Efficiency, Utility Rates and Total Cost of Ownership
If you were choosing a heating system based on comfort alone, the choice would be simple. If you prefer pleasant, stable temperatures with no cold or hot spots, select a heat pump. If you’re more interested in the ability to change your home’s temperature quickly, buy a gas furnace. However, there are multiple other facets you need to consider when weighing your options. A significant consideration for most homeowners is operating costs. That’s where the comparison between a heat pump and a gas furnace gets a bit more complicated.
If you consider energy efficiency alone, heat pumps win every time, hands down. The average heat pump on the market today will operate at between 300% and 400% efficiency in our typical winter climate. However, heat pump efficiency also drops along with the outdoor temperature. A standard gas furnace, by contrast, will only operate at about 81% efficiency, no matter the weather. Even high-efficiency furnaces, which cost more, still don’t reach 100% efficiency; they hit 98.5% efficiency.
Unfortunately, you must also consider that electricity costs more than natural gas, on average. The difference between the two alters the savings you might expect from a heat pump. For example, let’s assume your natural gas now costs $2.41 per therm (equaling 100 cubic feet), and your electricity costs $.14 per kWh. At those prices, your heat pump would need to operate at no less than 138% efficiency to achieve operating cost parity with an 81% efficient furnace. The good news is that most heat pumps will do that with no problem. However, if we experience prolonged frigid weather, you might end up with an unexpectedly high power bill.
You must also consider your home’s air envelope when weighing heating system options. If your home is poorly insulated, a heat pump can lose its efficiency advantages. That’s because their low air-output temperatures can struggle to overcome cold air in a drafty home. If you wish, we can evaluate your home’s insulation for you. That can help you make a more informed decision. If you want, we can even upgrade your home’s insulation to make whatever heating system you choose more efficient.
When a Dual-Fuel Setup Makes Sense in Dallas Region
At this point, it’s worth noting that there’s a best-of-both-worlds heating option: a dual-fuel heat pump. It combines a heat pump to handle heating needs in mild weather with a gas furnace to handle extreme cold. Most dual-fuel systems have a preconfigured switchover point that you calibrate based on your use case. You set it based on the temperature at which running your gas furnace should cost less than running your heat pump. A dual-fuel setup may make sense if you already have a natural gas hookup and you want some extra heating security. You should know, though, that dual-fuel systems cost far more than a heat pump or gas furnace alone.
Choosing the Right System for Your Home
At the end of the day, heat pumps and gas furnaces each make fine choices for homes in Dallas-Fort Worth. If you understand the pros and cons of each, you can make a sensible choice. And whichever you choose, you can count on Cody & Sons Plumbing, Heating & Air to install it for you. We carry quality heat pumps and furnaces from several major manufacturers. We’ve installed countless heating systems in the area since launching our HVAC division in 2014. We also offer financing options on approved credit to help you pay for your heating system of choice. If you’re ready to upgrade your heater, we can even provide you with a free, on-screen heating estimate right on our website. So, contact Cody & Sons Plumbing, Heating & Air for a heating installation estimate for your Dallas-Fort Worth home today!
