Heat pump vs Furnace in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already has gas heat or gas isn't an option for you, a cold-climate heat pump is built to keep working through nights at 16°F and below. It also gives you cooling in the summer, which a furnace can't. Just make sure it's a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power in weather this cold.
When a furnace makes sense
If you have a gas line or can get one, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat here, running at least 25% less than a heat pump at New Hampshire's prices. With 8 months of heating a year and nights averaging 16°F all winter, that gap in running cost adds up. You'll need a separate air conditioner for summer, since a furnace only heats.
When a heat pump makes sense
If your home already has gas heat or gas isn't an option for you, a cold-climate heat pump is built to keep working through nights at 16°F and below. It also gives you cooling in the summer, which a furnace can't. Just make sure it's a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power in weather this cold.
When a furnace makes sense
If you have a gas line or can get one, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat here, running at least 25% less than a heat pump at New Hampshire's prices. With 8 months of heating a year and nights averaging 16°F all winter, that gap in running cost adds up. You'll need a separate air conditioner for summer, since a furnace only heats.
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 Hillsborough County.
Winter nights here average 16°F, and gas heats your home for at least 25% less than a heat pump at New Hampshire prices.
If your home has no gas line to tap into, a cold-climate heat pump still heats and cools from one system without one.
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 16°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 or gas isn't an option for you, a cold-climate heat pump is built to keep working through nights at 16°F and below. It also gives you cooling in the summer, which a furnace can't. Just make sure it's a cold-climate model, since standard heat pumps lose heating power in weather this cold.
When a furnace makes sense
If you have a gas line or can get one, a furnace is the cheaper way to heat here, running at least 25% less than a heat pump at New Hampshire's prices. With 8 months of heating a year and nights averaging 16°F all winter, that gap in running cost adds up. You'll need a separate air conditioner for summer, since a furnace only heats.
A Hillsborough County contractor will price both against your own house, your ductwork and your panel.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.