Heat pump vs Furnace in Merrimack County, New Hampshire
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already has gas heat is not an option and you want cooling in the summer along with heat in the winter, a heat pump covers both. Get a cold-climate model, not a standard one. Standard heat pumps lose heating power as the temperature drops, and winter nights here average 14°F from December through February, which is cold enough to matter.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home has a gas line or can get one, the furnace is the cheaper machine to run here, by at least 25% at New Hampshire prices. That gap adds up over a heating season that runs about 9 months. A furnace only heats, so you would still need a separate way to cool the house in summer.
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already has gas heat is not an option and you want cooling in the summer along with heat in the winter, a heat pump covers both. Get a cold-climate model, not a standard one. Standard heat pumps lose heating power as the temperature drops, and winter nights here average 14°F from December through February, which is cold enough to matter.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home has a gas line or can get one, the furnace is the cheaper machine to run here, by at least 25% at New Hampshire prices. That gap adds up over a heating season that runs about 9 months. A furnace only heats, so you would still need a separate way to cool the house in summer.
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 Merrimack County.
Nights here average 14°F all winter, and gas heat runs at least 25% cheaper than a heat pump at New Hampshire's rates.
If your home has no gas line to it, a cold-climate heat pump will still heat it through those 14°F nights, 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 14°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
If your home already has gas heat is not an option and you want cooling in the summer along with heat in the winter, a heat pump covers both. Get a cold-climate model, not a standard one. Standard heat pumps lose heating power as the temperature drops, and winter nights here average 14°F from December through February, which is cold enough to matter.
When a furnace makes sense
If your home has a gas line or can get one, the furnace is the cheaper machine to run here, by at least 25% at New Hampshire prices. That gap adds up over a heating season that runs about 9 months. A furnace only heats, so you would still need a separate way to cool the house in summer.
A Merrimack County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
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