Heat pump vs Furnace in Sullivan County, New Hampshire
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling as well as heat and you are set on staying off natural gas. Choose a cold-climate model, since a standard heat pump loses heating power once temperatures drop toward what you see here on a winter night. Even with a cold-climate model, expect to pay more to heat your home than a furnace would cost you at New Hampshire gas prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace suits a home that just needs heat, with cooling handled some other way. Winter nights here average 13°F from December through February, and a furnace does not lose heating power in that cold. It also costs at least 25% less to run than a heat pump at New Hampshire gas and electric prices, which adds up over nine months of heating a year.
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling as well as heat and you are set on staying off natural gas. Choose a cold-climate model, since a standard heat pump loses heating power once temperatures drop toward what you see here on a winter night. Even with a cold-climate model, expect to pay more to heat your home than a furnace would cost you at New Hampshire gas prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace suits a home that just needs heat, with cooling handled some other way. Winter nights here average 13°F from December through February, and a furnace does not lose heating power in that cold. It also costs at least 25% less to run than a heat pump at New Hampshire gas and electric prices, which adds up over nine months of heating a year.
Heat pump
- Runs on
- Electricity
- What it does
- Heats and cools
- Tax credit
- No federal tax credit since the end of 2025
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy · Internal Revenue Code
Furnace
- Runs on
- Natural gas
- What it does
- Heats only
- Tax credit
- No federal tax credit since the end of 2025
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy · Internal Revenue Code
Furnace wins in Sullivan County.
With winter nights averaging 13°F here, a furnace keeps up better than a heat pump, and gas costs at least 25% less to run.
If your home has no gas line to work with, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat it through a 13°F night and cool it come summer.
Find a contractor| Compared on | Heat pump | Furnace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to run here | Costs more to run | At least 25% less to run |
| What it does | Heats and cools | Heats only |
| Homes in New England that heat with one | 1.7% | 54.8% |
| Handles a 13°F night | Standard models lose heating power in the cold; cold-climate models are built for it | Yes |
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, NOAA
When a heat pump makes sense
A heat pump makes sense if you want cooling as well as heat and you are set on staying off natural gas. Choose a cold-climate model, since a standard heat pump loses heating power once temperatures drop toward what you see here on a winter night. Even with a cold-climate model, expect to pay more to heat your home than a furnace would cost you at New Hampshire gas prices.
When a furnace makes sense
A furnace suits a home that just needs heat, with cooling handled some other way. Winter nights here average 13°F from December through February, and a furnace does not lose heating power in that cold. It also costs at least 25% less to run than a heat pump at New Hampshire gas and electric prices, which adds up over nine months of heating a year.
A Sullivan County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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